NASA confined four people to mock-Mars base for a year

It has been a week since NASA has launched its year-long CHAPEA Analog Mission 1, confining four people into a mock-Mars base, Mars Dune Alpha.

The base is located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and was made to prepare astronauts for an extended stay and see if the model can be feasibly built on Mars.

Preparing for its next mission, NASA has four high risks sending astronauts to Mars right now: radiation, crew behavior and performance, food and nutrition, and Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), a swelling of the eyeball that affects the majority of astronauts during long periods in micorgravity.

Although the simulation won’t be able to test radiation effects and reduced gravity, its main objective is to assess human health and performance. A large part of the testing will focus on the impact of the Martian diet over an extended period of time.

Participants will eat rations similar to those on the International Space Station and grow vegetables for psychological and nutritional boosts. Their body mass and consumption, nutritional status, immune system function, cognition and microbiome will all be evaluated.

Mars Dune Alpha will also simulate other challenges astronauts may encounter on a mission on Mars. Participants will experience resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays, psychological and physiological testing, and engage in virtual reality spacewalks.

The habitat was designed by 3D-printing company ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group and is around 1,700 square-feet. It was printed in ICON’s concrete formula dubbed “Lavacrete”. The idea is to build this structure on Mars using Martian soil. 

The four crew members are Kelly Haston, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones and Anca Selariu. This mission marks the first of three, Analog Mission 2 coming in 2025 and Analog Mission 3 coming 2026.

Source: nasa.gov/chapea