The crew of NASA's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) project has successfully completed their year-long mission in a simulated Mars environment at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, and Nathan Jones spent over 12 months living and working inside a 17,000 square foot (1,579 square meters) 3D-printed habitat, replicating conditions of a mission to the red planet.
Throughout the mission, the team engaged in “Marswalks,” cultivated vegetables to supplement their diet, and maintained the habitat and equipment, simulating the challenges of limited resources and isolation they would face on an actual Mars voyage.
Steve Koerner, deputy director of Johnson Space Center, highlighted the crew’s focus on nutrition and its impact on performance as crucial for preparing future missions. The volunteers also navigated communication delays of up to 22 minutes with their home base, mirroring real Martian communication delays.
Upon emerging from the habitat on July 6, the crew expressed gratitude for their teamwork and the lessons learned about sustainability and space exploration. Ross Brockwell emphasized the importance of sustainable living practices, while Anca Selariu reflected on the mission’s role in uniting humanity towards exploring new frontiers.
NASA plans to launch two additional CHAPEA missions, continuing to conduct simulated spacewalks and gather vital data on the physical and behavioral health of future Mars explorers.
Reference(s):
Crew of NASA's simulated Mars habitat on Earth emerges after a year
cgtn.com
