1/10 - Scientists to spend a year in Mars simulation habitat
Scientists to spend a year in Mars simulation habitat
2/10 - Living on Mars wasn't exactly a childhood dream for Kelly Haston
Living on Mars wasn\'t exactly a childhood dream for Canadian biologist Kelly Haston, though she\'ll soon spend a year preparing for just that.
3/10 - 3D printed facility to simulate life on Mars
The Mars Dune Alpha habitat is a 3D printed facility complete with bedrooms, a gym, common areas, and a vertical farm to grow food. The crew will have to don their suits to do "spacewalks" in an outdoor area filled with red sand, separated by an airlock.
4/10 - Communication delays with the outside world
Participants in the Mars simulation will face communication delays with the outside world due to the distance between Earth and Mars, which can be up to 20 minutes one-way, depending on the planets\' positions, and 40 minutes two ways.
5/10 - Long-term experiments to prepare for future missions
Nasa has carefully selected the participants for the long-term experiments to evaluate the behavior of a crew in an isolated and confined environment, ahead of a real mission in the future. The simulation will help prepare for future missions to Mars.
6/10 - She will be one of the four volunteers stepping into a Martian habitat
At the end of June, she will be one of the four volunteers stepping into a Martian habitat in Houston, Texas that will be their home for the next 12 months.
7/10 - First of a series of three planned missions
This mission is the first of a series of three planned by Nasa, grouped under the title CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog). The simulation will help prepare for future missions to Mars.
8/10 - Simulating an important exploratory mission for humanity
They might be simulating an important exploratory mission for humanity, but how the housemates get along as they share mundane chores including cleaning and meal preparation will be crucial.
9/10 - Simulation to evaluate crew behavior in isolated environment
Participants will face equipment failures and water limitations, as well as communication delays with the outside world. The simulation will help Nasa evaluate the behavior of a crew in an isolated and confined environment, ahead of a real mission in the future.
10/10 - Procedures have been drawn up for situations that can be handled by the crew themselves
A whole series of procedures have been drawn up for situations that can be handled by the crew themselves -- including on how to tell them about a family problem that has arisen outside.
