Image source, NASA
Caption, Anka Selariu, Ross Brockwell, Kelly Haston, and Nathan Jones remained in confinement for a year.Article information
- Author, Nikolay Voronin
- Role, BBC Global News
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5 hours
Just half a century ago, flights to Mars were the stuff of science fiction.
Today, scientists are seriously considering what skills future colonizers of the Red Planet will need, how they will survive the long journey there, and how to prepare themselves for hostile and uninhabitable conditions.
It takes a special kind of person to be able to live in space. How would astronauts cope?
To answer these questions, four American pioneers – Kelly Haston, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones and Anka Selariu – embarked on a “space journey” on June 25 last year.
Not to Mars, of course, but to a 3D-printed replica of a Martian surface habitat. In simple terms: a structure built to house astronauts and their equipment on Mars.
Caption, Boots designed for walking on the Martian landscape.
The structure is at a training base at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where scientists have attempted to replicate as closely as possible the conditions in which future colonists might live.
The year-long “confinement” of the four selected was the longest and most comprehensive space flight simulation experiment ever conducted.
Over the past year, scientists have been monitoring mission participants remotely, periodically assigning them tasks and continuously collecting data on their physical and mental health.
The “flight” officially ended on Saturday, July 6. Researchers hope to discover how people can survive for so long in a confined environment, without conflict, without their loved ones, and without deterioration of their mental health.
Image source, NASA
Caption, One of the goals of the mission is to determine how people can survive together without their mental health deteriorating.
One year in a 3D model
Image source, Reuters
Caption, Professor Bell is responsible for the scientific component of the project.
The four people who participated in the experiment last saw the sky more than a year ago.
For nearly 370 days, they lived in complete isolation as part of the CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) program.
There was no shortage of candidates: more than 10,000 applications were submitted for the four vacancies for “Martian volunteers” announced by NASA.
The overall goal of the mission is to study the physiological and psychological effects of long space travel (the shortest trip to Mars will take nine months one way) and near-complete social isolation on humans.
Image source, NASA
Caption, The duration of a trip to Mars is 9 months, and that’s just the way there.
The Martian module that simulates the surface of the Red Planet has a surface area of almost 160 square meters and was built with a 3D printer.
Scientists believe 3D printing might be a possible way to build homes on Mars. Since the planet is millions of miles away, transporting building materials there is impractical.
Colonizers will have to make do with materials that already exist on Mars: dust and sand.
It is hoped that these might form the basis of a material for 3D printing space modules.
“Houston, we have a problem…”
It’s impossible to fully replicate the hostile conditions of Mars on Earth, says Suzanne Bell, head of NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center.
Caption, This is what the inside of the Martian module looks like.
After all, Mars has an unbreathable atmosphere, microgravity and strong radiation.
But CHAPEA goes to great lengths to prepare future colonizers for the variety of challenges a crew would inevitably face during a real mission to Mars.
Throughout the year, participants ate exclusively foods that might survive a long space flight (i.e., canned food) and foods they grew themselves in a specially designed “Martian greenhouse.”
One of the main problems that a real-life crew would face (which was replicated in this experiment) is a huge delay in communications due to the distance between Mars and Earth.
If humans on Mars wanted to communicate with mission control, any signal from Earth would take 22 minutes to reach the surface of Mars.
Image source, NASA
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Image source, NASA Caption, Anka Selariu, Ross Brockwell, Kelly Haston, and Nathan Jones remained in confinement for a year.Article information 5 hours Just half a century ago, flights to Mars were the stuff of science fiction. Today, scientists are seriously thinking regarding what skills future colonizers of the Red Planet will need, how they will survive the long journey there, and how they will need to prepare themselves to face hostile and uninhabitable conditions. It takes a special kind of person to be able to live in space. How would astronauts cope? To answer these questions, four American pioneers – Kelly Haston, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones and Anka Selariu – embarked on a “space journey” on June 25 last year. Not to Mars, of course, but to a 3D-printed replica of a Martian surface habitat. In simple terms: a structure built to house astronauts and their equipment on Mars. Caption, Boots designed for walking on the Martian landscape. The structure is at a training base at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where scientists have attempted to replicate as closely as possible the conditions in which future colonists might live. The year-long “confinement” of the four selected was the longest and most comprehensive space flight simulation experiment ever conducted. Over the past year, scientists have been monitoring mission participants remotely, periodically assigning them tasks and continuously collecting data on their physical and mental health. The “flight” officially ended on Saturday, July 6. Researchers hope to discover how people survive for so long together, without conflict, without their loved ones and without deterioration of their mental health. Image source, NASA Caption, One of the goals of the mission is to determine how people can survive together without their mental health deteriorating. Image source, Reuters Caption, Professor Bell is responsible for the scientific component of the project. The four people who participated in the experiment last saw the sky more than a year ago. For nearly 370 days, they lived in complete isolation as part of the CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) program. There was no shortage of candidates: more than 10,000 applications were submitted for the four vacancies for “Martian volunteers” announced by NASA. The overall goal of the mission is to study the physiological and psychological effects of long space travel (the shortest trip to Mars will take nine months one way) and near-complete social isolation on humans. Image source, NASA Caption, The duration of a trip to Mars is 9 months, and that’s just the way there. The Martian module that simulates the surface of the Red Planet has a surface area of almost 160 square meters and was built with a 3D printer. Scientists believe 3D printing might be a possible way to build homes on Mars. Since the planet is millions of miles away, transporting building materials there is impractical. Colonizers will have to make do with materials that already exist on Mars: dust and sand. It is hoped that these might form the basis of a material for 3D printing space modules. It’s impossible to fully replicate the hostile conditions of Mars on Earth, says Suzanne Bell, head of NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. Caption, This is what the inside of the Martian module looks like. After all, Mars has an unbreathable atmosphere, microgravity and strong radiation. But CHAPEA goes to great lengths to prepare future colonizers for the variety of challenges a crew would inevitably face during a real mission to Mars. Throughout the year, participants ate exclusively foods that might survive a long space flight (i.e., canned food) and foods they grew themselves in a specially designed “Martian greenhouse.” One of the main problems that a real-life crew would face (which was replicated in this experiment) is a huge delay in communications due to the distance between Mars and Earth. If humans on Mars wanted to communicate with mission control, any signal from Earth would take 22 minutes to reach the surface of Mars.
health, psychology, Mars colony">The One-Year Mars Mission: A Test of Human Endurance
One Year in a 3D Model
“Houston, we have a problem…”
