In the Mars simulation, Haney suggests NASA should watch the crew for signs of danger, comparable to symptoms of depression, increased irritability and bad mood, and changes in sleeping and eating patterns. And he advises the crew to create routines, including social rituals, and check out to succeed in the skin world, not only NASA mission control, to minimize their sense of isolation.
For her part, Haston plans to bring along videos of familiar places and audio recordings of sounds and music which might be meaningful to her, anticipating the disturbing lack of sound within the simulated Martian environment. She also plans to make use of meditation to take care of anxiety.
Chapea builds on previous Mars-like experiments, including the NASA-funded Hi-SEAS simulation on the north flank of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano. Hi-SEAS conducted six experiments between 2013 and 2018, with the last one discontinued after only 4 days when a crew member needed to be taken to the hospital after being electrocuted.
Kate Greene, writer of Once upon a time I lived on Mars he was in the primary Hi-SEAS crew who lived within the habitat for 4 months. (One of her crew members was Sian Proctor, a geologist and artist who later flew in orbit on SpaceX Inspiration4.) Greene finds these programs useful. “What makes them worthwhile is the thoughtful experimental design,” he says. “I feel it’s extremely vital to contemplate the human factor involved in a long-term space mission. As Kim Binsted, head of Hi-SEAS, has often said: “If something goes mistaken psychologically or sociologically with the crew, it could possibly be as catastrophic as a rocket exploding.”
Ashley Kowalski, who participated in an eight-month Mars simulation called SIRIUS-21 run by NASA and the Russian, French and German space agencies, says also they are good for helping future crews psychologically prepare ahead of time. “Until you are in that environment, you do not really know the way you are going to react to problems and situations that arise,” he says.
Ultimately, an actual mission to Mars might be far more difficult than any simulation on Earth. These astronauts may have to fret about hazards comparable to cosmic rays, the health effects of microgravity, and the dearth of water, food, energy, and breathable air. And unlike the Chapea volunteers, in the event that they get fed up with their crewmates, they cannot just walk away.
But Haston also points out the positive side of this unique situation. “There are negative things that individuals say: ‘You’re going to be 4 people getting on one another’s nerves.’ But we may even turn out to be a strong individual who can do things and understand one another in a way that the majority people haven’t got of their workplace,” he says. “You might be so depending on one another and likewise so close to one another. It might be amazing to see this result. “
