In the midst of a simulated trip to Mars, two men and two women living together in isolation lose important equipment.
“I may have accidentally killed one of our robots,” he said Dr. Nathan Jones, the crew doctor, described the incident as a “traumatic death.”
Anca Selariu, the science officer, joked that Operation Phoenix was necessary to bring the rover back from the ashes. Flight engineer Ross Brockwell assured Jones that they would be able to fix it.
“We had a lot of duct tape,” Brockwell said.
The conversation occurred in the context of an update recorded by NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analogue, or CHAPEA, study. Four ordinary people are volunteering to live in a 3D printed habitat on Mars for a year as a dress rehearsal for life on the Red Planet. But instead of reporting to Earth from 140 million miles away, the crew was actually closer, in a 1,700-square-foot home at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Outside the habitat, called Mars Dune Alpha, is a dome-shaped structure designed to resemble the surface of Mars, filled with red soil and rocky landscapes. They called the area where they performed the mock Marswalk the “sandbox.”
As people around the world prepare to celebrate the New Year, the crew of CHAPEA – Jones, Selariu, Brockwell and Commander Kelly Haston – will also celebrate the halfway point of their 378-day isolation, which begins on June 25, 2023. i first at least three groups will participate in Mars-style isolation research for human trials.
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Delay in communication between Mars and Earth
Details are key to replicating the real challenges of life on Mars. To simulate the astronauts’ communication delays with Earth, the crew could only communicate with friends and family via email. Sending a one-way message takes at least 20 minutes, sometimes more, depending on the size of the file.
Interviews also need to be adapted to certain communication constraints. The updates provided by the crew were based on questions that the US space agency had written down and then asked them to record their answers as an audio file. Some recordings can be heard on NASA podcasts, for example “Houston, we have a podcast”
– We have a lot of tape.
From left, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, Kelly Haston and Dr. Nathan Jones is a member of NASA’s CHAPEA crew.
Source: NASA
It’s unclear whether Jones broke the rover or whether NASA intended to shoot it down as part of an experiment. During the simulation, the crew performs various mission-related activities, such as Mars exploration, habitat maintenance, agriculture, exercise, and robot operation. Part of the research also involves exposing the crew to stressful conditions, such as limiting food supplies and forcing them to work when equipment breaks down.
The CHAPEA science team will eventually publish a research paper containing findings regarding crew health and performance.
The variable speed of light
“We have definitely seen changes in crew performance and health based on the realistic limits of Mars and the lifestyle of crew members,” Raina MacLeod, CHAPEA deputy project manager, said in a pre-mission statement. “So we tried to simulate the lifestyle by creating a realistic environment and workload for the CHAPEA crew.”
Marswalk simulation powered by virtual reality
When the crew left their quarters, they wore spacesuits, like astronauts entering a sandpit. Many of their Marswalks include virtual reality headsets. Outdoor treadmills allow them to run longer and farther than their surroundings allow. Sometimes they collect rock samples, other times they explore potential construction sites. From within their habitat they can control drones and helicopter-like robots to explore remote areas.
In the habitat there is also a “window” in which there is a television monitor with video transmission. The display changes depending on the time of day, showing the sunrise on Mars, the sun overhead, the habitat’s shadow on the ground, and finally the stars at night.
In the latest news from the crew, Haston, who is an ultrarunner, said the VR experience outside the habitat satisfies his wanderlust.
“The interesting fact is that I’m very happy to be on Mars,” he said.
Dr. Nathan Jones simulated walking on Mars outside of its habitat.
Source: NASA
However, during the six months spent away from their homes and families, the crew members begin to miss worldly comforts. For Haston it’s chips and red wine. For Jones, it wasn’t being with his wife on their 15th wedding anniversary. Brockwell, who calls Virginia Beach, Virginia, home, said he misses the ocean.
“I really miss driving,” Selariu said. “I miss the trees, I miss the green plants. I miss the colors and the seasons. I miss everything about the Earth.
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“I miss seeing the trees, I miss the greenery. I miss the colors and the seasons. I miss everything about Earth.
The CHAPEA crew has reached the halfway point of the 378-day study
NASA has a schedule as tight as astronauts on the International Space Station. But during downtime, the crew enjoys board games, Texas Hold’em and a PS4 video game system in the habitat. Jones brought a Fender guitar and Haston brought a travel ukulele.
No word yet on whether they’ve formed a team, but the crew has started a book club where they read and discuss the books they bring with them. As a group, they enjoy watching movies and TV shows from a limited database, such as Apple’s sci-fi shows For all humanity.
“We are the best movie critics on Mars,” Jones said. – The top four for sure.
Anca Selariu, science officer, works with Ross Brockwell, flight engineer, to analyze several geological samples.
Source: NASA
Even though no champagne will be produced in 2024, the crew has prepared another special dish to celebrate. On their first night together on Mars Dune Alpha, they clinked cups of hot chocolate and, for their birthday, baked and decorated a sponge cake.
Haston notes that some of their crops should be ready for harvest around the new year.
“We will toast with tomatoes from the garden,” he said.
2023-12-30 11:48:10
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