The mission is called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) and is the first of 3 planned simulations between now and 2026, each of which will teach scientists gradually more about what it considers long-duration human spaceflight to be successful.
CHAPEA is based at NASAs Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. The habitat, called Mars Dune Alpha, is a 1700 square-foot 3D-printed home, in which the crew will live, work, exercise, sleep, and perform experiments.
On June 25, 2023, a team of four volunteers entered a simulated Martian environment, from which they will not emerge for over a year. Their mission: to learn more about the logistics– and the human psychology– of living long-term on another world, without ever leaving the ground.
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Through the magic of virtual truth, the objective will also involve Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs), in which team members will briefly leave their habitat to enter an adjacent enclosure complete with red sand. They will need to don area suits for these simulated spacewalks.
The four-member team has a stellar collective CV, consisting of Kelly Haston (a biologist), Ross Brockwell (a structural engineer), Nathan Jones (a physician), and Anca Selariu (a Navy microbiologist). They needed to pass the same screening as astronaut prospects do before being authorized for an objective.
” The understanding we acquire here will help allow us to send people to Mars and bring them home safely,” said Grace Douglas, the Principal Investigator of CHAPEA, prior to the volunteers ingressed into their environment.
The team will just be able to interact with the outdoors world on a time hold-up. On Mars, messages can take up to 22 minutes to reach Earth, and that constraint is being used to CHAPEA (thats 44 minutes round-trip) The crew will likewise follow a diet of freeze-dried foods, comparable to what Martian astronauts will have to eat, and keep a schedule of activities comparable to a genuine mission.
Even the habitat itself is created with space objectives in mind. While the crew can leave for medical emergency situations, they hope they will be able to deal with small health issues separately.
The crew will not have to deal with Martian gravity.
The Ingress ceremony on June 25, 2023, as the 4 CHAPEA team members enter Mars Dune Alpha for their year-long mission.
There is more to the mission than just close quarters. The crew will only have the ability to communicate with the outdoors world on a dead time. On Mars, messages can take up to 22 minutes to reach Earth, which restriction is being used to CHAPEA (thats 44 minutes round-trip) The team will likewise follow a diet plan of freeze-dried foods, comparable to what Martian astronauts will need to consume, and keep a schedule of activities comparable to a genuine objective.
” They are about to start an analog mission that incorporates operations, logistics, and research study of living and dealing with Mars. The importance of this study can not be overemphasized,” states Judith Hayes, Chief Science Officer, Human Health and Performance Directorate. “NASA researchers will find out vital insights on the physical and behavioral elements of a mission on Mars.”
Even the environment itself is designed with space missions in mind. While the team can leave for medical emergencies, they hope they will be able to deal with small health concerns separately.
Of course, CHAPEA cant simulate everything. The team will not have to deal with Martian gravity. There will be surprise challenges, like equipment failures or water shortages.
Ultimately, the idea of CHAPEA is to discover what human behavioral obstacles may occur in an extended mission. By practicing here on Earth, NASA can be more ready for future Mars-bound astronauts to do it for real.
The CHAPEA1 team will emerge from their seclusion in July 2024.
Find out more:
“A Year of Mars” Houston we have a Podcast.
Featured Image: the simulated Martian outside the CHAPEA crew will explore throughout EVA. Credit: NASA.
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