Houston, TX. – What will life be like for humans living on Mars? Four researchers selected by NASA will help answer that question.
They’ll be living and working in a 3D printed, 1,700 square foot habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center that simulates living on the red planet. Lessons learned will prepare NASA for the next giant leap, sending the first astronauts to Mars.
The mission is set to begin in June and will be the first of three planned, one-year Mars surface simulations.
It will pave the way for the first human exploration of Mars. Day-to-day life for the four volunteers will resemble life on the International Space Station.
“They will be sleeping, eating, doing regular activities that we would do here on Earth,” said Dr. Grace Douglas, NASA’s CHAPEA principal investigator.
CHAPEA is short for Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog. By carrying out different types of activities, from simulated Mars walks and habitat maintenance to exercise and crop growth, NASA hopes to collect as much data as possible to give the agency more insight into the potential impacts of long term missions to Mars.
NASA provided Icon, an Austin-based company that specializes in 3D technology, with highly specific requirements relative to the needs and wants of crew members.
The habitat was constructed in a hangar at Johnson Space Center using a 3D printer.
“You have to think about everything ranging from the day-to-day activities of the crewmembers to how they’re going to do the research and science activities over the course of their mission,” said Melodie Yashar, Icon’s Vice President of Building Design.
Researchers will also simulate the challenges of human missions to Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure and communication delays.
“They’ll have wearables to collect that kind of data so that we can really understand how our crews are performing in this high-stress situation where they’re in isolation, confinements for a long time, where they have these time delays and they’re expected to be more autonomous,” Dr. Douglas said.
The volunteers for the Mars habitat were selected using a process similar to how astronauts are chosen for a mission.