NASA will once more ship a bunch of researchers to Houston to simulate a Mars mission – Houston Public Media

NASA

NASA will not be fairly sending astronauts to Mars, however 4 analysis volunteers will likely be despatched to the Johnson Space Center in Houston subsequent month to simulate a Mars mission for greater than a 12 months, in line with the federal company.

Beginning on Sunday, Oct. 19, these 4 researchers — Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, Matthew Montgomery and James Spicer — will perform missions like rising a vegetable backyard, working robots and simulations of strolling alongside the pink planet’s floor.

That group will dwell in a 1,700-square foot, 3D-printed habitat, known as the Mars Dune Alpha habitat, till Oct. 31, 2026 — a complete of 378 days.

They can even undergo “realistic resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, isolation and confinement, and other stressors,” in line with a NASA news release.

“The simulation will allow us to collect cognitive and physical performance data to give us more insight into the potential impacts of the resource restrictions and long-duration missions to Mars on crew health and performance,” Grace Douglas, principal investigator of the initiative, mentioned within the information launch. “Ultimately, this information will help NASA make informed decisions to design and plan for a successful human mission to Mars.”

This is the second such mission from the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA. The earlier mission wrapped up its pseudo-expedition on July 6, 2024.

Though the initiative is particularly tailor-made to simulate a Mars mission, NASA mentioned the analysis it yields might contribute to its deliberate Artemis missions to the Earth’s moon.

“As NASA gears up for crewed Artemis missions, CHAPEA and other ground analogs are helping to determine which capabilities could best support future crews in overcoming the human health and performance challenges of living and operating beyond Earth’s resources – all before we send humans to Mars,” mentioned Sara Whiting, undertaking scientist with NASA’s Human Research Program on the Johnson Space Center.

Elder, the mission’s commander, comes from Williamstown, West Virginia, as an Air Force pilot. Ellis, the medical officer, is an acquisitions officer within the U.S. Space Force, coming from North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Montgomery, serving because the mission’s science officer, is a Los Angeles-based engineering design guide who works in LED lighting and robotics. Spicer, the flight engineer, is a technical director within the aerospace and protection business.

Emily Phillips, a U.S. Marine Corps pilot from Pennsylvania, and Laura Marie, a industrial airline pilot from the United Kingdom, are the alternate crew members.