Current:Home > News4 volunteers just entered a virtual "Mars" made by NASA. They won't come back for one year. -Aspire Money Growth
4 volunteers just entered a virtual "Mars" made by NASA. They won't come back for one year.
View
Date:2025-04-17 02:32:47
Four volunteers entered a simulated Mars habitat on Sunday, where they are expected to remain for 378 days while facing a range of challenges designed to anticipate a real-life human mission to the red planet.
The participants — research scientist Kelly Haston, structural engineer Ross Brockwell, emergency medicine physician Nathan Jones and U.S. Navy microbiologist Anca Selariu — were selected from a pool of applicants to be part of NASA's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA, in its first yearlong mission. None of them are trained astronauts.
"Thank you all for your dedication to exploration," said Grace Douglas, the mission's principal investigator at NASA, during a briefing Sunday before they entered the habitat. "Our best wishes go with you."
Haston, designated by NASA as the commander of the simulated Mars mission, shared emotional remarks at the briefing about the importance of spaceflight and exploration, which she said "exemplifies some of the best qualities of humankind." Haston also praised fellow crew members, calling them an "amazing group of dedicated individuals who feel very passionate about space exploration and science."
"The crew has worked so hard this month to get ready for this mission," Haston said. "It has been very special to be a part of such a tremendous group of scientists and specialists from a diverse set of backgrounds working together to bring CHAPEA 1, the first of three missions, to reality."
Haston, Brockwell, Jones and Selariu will spend more than a year living and working in a simulated Mars environment built at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
During their time inside of the 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot habitat, the crew is set to carry out an array of "mission activities," including simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, growing of crops, habitat maintenance, personal hygiene and exercise, according to NASA. At 1,700 square feet, the habitat is smaller than the average U.S. single-family house. It includes a kitchen, private crew quarters and two bathrooms, along with medical, work and recreation areas.
They crew will also face a series of obstacles that likely mirror those of a true Mars mission, as researchers simulate conditions like resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays and environmental stressors, NASA said in a news release when it introduced the crew members in April.
"The simulation will allow us to collect cognitive and physical performance data to give us more insight into the potential impacts of long-duration missions to Mars on crew health and performance," Douglas said at that time. "Ultimately, this information will help NASA make informed decisions to design and plan for a successful human mission to Mars."
The simulated mission is the first of three planned Mars surface simulations, each of which is expected to last one year. NASA says the information collected and studied over the course of these missions, along with ongoing exploration happening on and around the moon, will help send the first astronauts to Mars in the future.
- In:
- Mars
- NASA
veryGood! (5294)
Related
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Court dismisses challenge to Biden’s restoration of Utah monuments shrunk by Trump
- Some 3,000 miles from Oakland, A's fans' 'Summer of Sell' finds another home
- Winning Time Los Angeles Lakers Style Guide: 24 Must-Shop Looks
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Balanced effort leads US past Doncic-less Slovenia 92-62 in World Cup warm-up game
- Real Housewives Star Kyle Richards Shares the Must-Pack Travel Essentials for Your Next Trip
- How to watch Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters at Outside Lands festival from San Francisco
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- NFL preseason games Sunday: Times, TV, live stream, matchup analysis
Ranking
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Leaders' arrogance and envy doomed the Pac-12
- Pottery Barn Put Thousands of Items on Sale: Here Are the Best Deals as Low as $6
- Tale as old as time: Indicators of the Week
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Al Michaels on Orioles TV controversy: 'Suspend the doofus that suspended Kevin Brown'
- Shop the best back-to-school deals on Apple iPads, AirPods and more ahead of Labor Day
- Mick Fleetwood says his restaurant has been lost in Maui wildfires: We are heartbroken
Recommendation
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Illinois doctor arrested after allegedly recording female employees using the restroom
Malaysia warns owners of LGBTQ-themed Swatch watches could face jail time
Kelsea Ballerini opens up about moving on post-divorce, finding joy, discovering herself
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Some Maui residents question why they weren't told to evacuate as wildfire flames got closer
Indiana woman sentenced to over 5 years in prison in COVID-19 fraud scheme
Streamers beware: It's not just Netflix and Disney. A password sharing crackdown is coming.