Mars Mission Simulated In Hawaii
- 10 years ago
For eight months a crew of test subjects will live inside a dome, just like they would on Mars, to test the effects space could have on astronauts.
It appears that traveling to Mars doesn't require leaving Earth.
In order to study how life on Mars could affect humans, NASA is funding an eight-month long experiment in Hawaii that began on October 15th.
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is in charge of the study, known as the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS.
This will be the longest Mars simulation done by the United States.
A similar, albeit longer, simulation was done by Russia between 2010 and 2011.
The principal investigator for HI-SEAS said, “We need to know more about how the mind works, how individuals contribute to a team, and how that team dynamic changes over time in order to anticipate how astronauts will react during long-duration space travel.”
A crew of six, three men and three women will live inside a dome 8 thousand feet up on the side of Mauna Loa volcano. For the duration of the study they will only be able to leave the habitat to perform simulated space walks.
NASA is hoping to send astronauts to Mars by the 2030’s, but there are concerns about the physical, mental and emotional risks related to such a journey.
Through this study, NASA hopes to gain a better understanding of the effects this type of mission has on humans.
It appears that traveling to Mars doesn't require leaving Earth.
In order to study how life on Mars could affect humans, NASA is funding an eight-month long experiment in Hawaii that began on October 15th.
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is in charge of the study, known as the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS.
This will be the longest Mars simulation done by the United States.
A similar, albeit longer, simulation was done by Russia between 2010 and 2011.
The principal investigator for HI-SEAS said, “We need to know more about how the mind works, how individuals contribute to a team, and how that team dynamic changes over time in order to anticipate how astronauts will react during long-duration space travel.”
A crew of six, three men and three women will live inside a dome 8 thousand feet up on the side of Mauna Loa volcano. For the duration of the study they will only be able to leave the habitat to perform simulated space walks.
NASA is hoping to send astronauts to Mars by the 2030’s, but there are concerns about the physical, mental and emotional risks related to such a journey.
Through this study, NASA hopes to gain a better understanding of the effects this type of mission has on humans.