The primary CHAPEA mission crew members have been dwelling and dealing inside NASA’s first simulated Mars habitat for over a 12 months. NASA
As many people skilled throughout lockdowns, it’s not straightforward to remain sane and productive in an enclosed setting. However 4 volunteers for a NASA experiment have examined this to its limits by spending greater than a 12 months confined to a simulation of a Mars outpost.
In NASA’s Crew Well being and Efficiency Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission, 4 volunteers have spent 378 days in a simulated Mars setting designed to appear and feel as very like Mars as is feasible right here on Earth. They lived in a 3D-printed habitat, carried out science jobs, and will solely talk with the skin world through floor management.
“For greater than a 12 months, the crew simulated Mars mission operations, together with ‘Marswalks,’” grew and harvested a number of greens to complement their shelf-stable meals, maintained their gear and habitat, and operated underneath extra stressors a Mars crew will expertise, together with communication delays with Earth, useful resource limitations, and isolation,” NASA defined in a press release.
The thought was to check what a few of the well being implications have been for crew members on long-duration missions. With a restricted weight loss plan and a few excessive train calls for — similar to performing simulated Marswalks utilizing a treadmill the place they needed to stroll for lengthy intervals — researchers wished to verify the results of those circumstances on their bodily well being. Plus, there was additionally the vital subject of group psychology and psychological well being throughout such an extended interval of relative isolation.
Now that this part of the experiment has come to an finish, the crew is on the point of depart their habitat for the primary time in a 12 months. They are going to be exiting the simulated Mars setting this Saturday, July 6.
The right way to watch the crew members depart their habitat
For those who’re curious to see what it’s like to go away an enclosed setting after greater than a 12 months, NASA will likely be live-streaming the crew members as they depart their habitat on Saturday, July 6. The protection will embody a ceremony to welcome the crew again to “Earth” life, plus discussions with NASA specialists concerning the experiment and its potential for future Mars missions. Panelists embody Kjell Lindgren, a NASA astronaut and deputy director of flight operations, plus a number of scientists and engineers who labored on the mission.
Protection begins at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on July 6 , and you may watch both on NASA’s streaming service NASA+ or through YouTube by heading to the YouTube web page for the occasion or by utilizing the video embedded above.
