Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Mars on Earth: NASA researchers will spend a year living in a simulated habitat
There are physical and psychological challenges to getting to and returning from Mars as it takes several months in each way without gravity. Therefore, hibernation is one way to keep the astronauts healthier. (Vol.4043) But what about the life on the red planet whose gravity is only 38% of that on Earth and air is 100 times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere? Besides all these unusual living conditions, there are physical and psychological issues that Mars researchers will need to deal with, such as nutrition, isolation from families and friends, and social interaction with other crew members as they are expected to spend over a year before boarding the return ship to the Earth. Several experiments have been conducted to examine how people deal with such extreme conditions in analogs, or mock Mars stations. Now, NASA is about to launch a 378-day isolated mission to simulate an extended stay on Mars. Four members of scientists and engineers will live and perform tasks in a 160 square meters mock station that is completely isolated from the outside. Though they won’t experience the reduced gravity like on Mars, they will have to endure what they could get in 282 million kilometers away from the Earth. If you include the time for the roundtrip and stay on Mars, it’ll be over two years. Can you live only with the same type of food and the same crew members in a small cabin and station for that long? That’s why experiments are essential before sending people to Mars.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about the challenges that people will face on Mars.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/16/world/chapea-nasa-mars-analog-spc-scn-intl/index.html
Mars on Earth: NASA researchers will spend a year living in a simulated habitat
There are physical and psychological challenges to getting to and returning from Mars as it takes several months in each way without gravity. Therefore, hibernation is one way to keep the astronauts healthier. (Vol.4043) But what about the life on the red planet whose gravity is only 38% of that on Earth and air is 100 times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere? Besides all these unusual living conditions, there are physical and psychological issues that Mars researchers will need to deal with, such as nutrition, isolation from families and friends, and social interaction with other crew members as they are expected to spend over a year before boarding the return ship to the Earth. Several experiments have been conducted to examine how people deal with such extreme conditions in analogs, or mock Mars stations. Now, NASA is about to launch a 378-day isolated mission to simulate an extended stay on Mars. Four members of scientists and engineers will live and perform tasks in a 160 square meters mock station that is completely isolated from the outside. Though they won’t experience the reduced gravity like on Mars, they will have to endure what they could get in 282 million kilometers away from the Earth. If you include the time for the roundtrip and stay on Mars, it’ll be over two years. Can you live only with the same type of food and the same crew members in a small cabin and station for that long? That’s why experiments are essential before sending people to Mars.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about the challenges that people will face on Mars.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/16/world/chapea-nasa-mars-analog-spc-scn-intl/index.html
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