Arsia Mons in the context of "Olympus Mons"

The Caves of Mars Project was an early 2000s program funded through Phase II by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, now known as the NASA Innovative Advanced Conceptsto demonstrate the feasibility of constructing human habitats in Martian caves, lavatubes, and other subsurface voids to facilitate scientific research for a potential human mission to Mars. The final report was published in mid 2004.

Tharsis (/ˈθɑːrsɪs/) is a vast volcanic plateau centered near the equator in the western hemisphere of Mars. The region is home to the largest volcanoes in the Solar System, including the three enormous shield volcanoes Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons, which are collectively known as the Tharsis Montes. The tallest volcano on the planet, Olympus Mons, is often associated with the Tharsis region but is actually located off the western edge of the plateau. The name Tharsis is the Greco-Latin transliteration of the biblical Tarshish, the land at the western extremity of the known world.