Test astronauts leave Mars simulation
Completely isolated from the outside world, two women and two men have completed a NASA experiment on potential life on Mars after living there for over a year on a 160 square meter surface in a NASA hangar in Texas. The experiment, which was the first mission under the "Chapea" (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) program, is over.
Technical leader of the US space agency NASA, Julie Kramer, announced further similar "Chapea" missions for 2025 and 2027. The first experiment was designed for slightly over a year: Four individuals lived for 378 days on the NASA facility. The windowless "Mars Dune Alpha" was created using a 3D printer. The volunteers could not leave it.
The visibly moved probe astronauts spoke briefly before cameras before they could return to their families. "We can create these things together," said Ross Brockwell, looking forward to a journey to Mars. The NASA experiment was a wonderful experience, Brockwell added. "I really hope that we're getting closer to the reality of seeing people on Mars."
Participants were not astronauts
The "Chapea" program (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) is designed to help NASA one day bring people back to the Moon - and later to Mars. According to the current planning, it could be as early as the 2030s. With the "Artemis" program, NASA plans to bring the first humans back to the Moon since more than half a century ago - including the first non-white person and the first woman. The long-term goal of "Artemis" is the establishment of a permanent Moon base as a foundation for manned missions to Mars.
The four participants of the first "Chapea" mission were not trained NASA astronauts. Anyone between the ages of 30 and 55 who is healthy and motivated, does not smoke, and holds American citizenship or a permanent residence permit, as well as a scientific university degree and at least 1,000 hours of flight experience could apply. Selected were Brockwell, who organized public works in the US state of Virginia, Biologist Kelly Haston from San Francisco, Doctor and three-time father Nathan Jones from the US state of Illinois, and Microbiologist Anca Selariu.
Circumstantial communication with the outside world
For a year, the four lived on 160 square meters - with sleeping quarters about two meters by three meters, a living room with a TV and chairs, workstations with computers, and a medical station. They could communicate with their families and friends - but only in "Mars time," meaning that even sending a short SMS usually took 22 minutes.
In a small outdoor area, the inhabitants simulated Mars soil experiments. In addition, maintenance of the facility, vegetable farming, and sports were among the tasks on home trainers. "To make it as Mars-realistic as possible, the crew is also confronted with environmental stress factors - for example, limited resources, isolation, and failing equipment," NASA said. It was also about studying the reaction of astronauts to psychological stress.
"Chapea" is not the first experiment of its kind. For instance, NASA gathered experiences and data in a simulation facility in Hawaii with the "Hi Seas" missions, as did the European, Russian, and Chinese space agencies around 15 years ago with the "Mars 500" project. And it will continue: The NASA has two further "Chapea" missions in planning, the next one is scheduled to start in the spring of 2025.
nucleotides of astronomy education were integrated into the daily routines of the Mars simulators. Despite being isolated from physical space, their minds soared through the cosmos, learning about galaxies, stars, and the history of Mars.
The success of the Mars simulation experiment has sparked interest in expanding astronomy education beyond traditional classrooms. NASA, aiming to inspire future generations, plans to integrate astronomy education into future "Chapea" missions and potential Mars missions.
