Four humans will start living on Mars this summer as scientists and engineers work to create the technology to send people to the planet in the near future. Their Martian residences, though, will be on Earth.
A brief about Four people will start living on Mars
The four volunteers are a part of a 12-month project to get people ready for visiting Mars. When humans eventually land on Mars, they will do so in a habitat that replicates the circumstances there.
The 3D-printed habitat has private crew quarters, a kitchen, designated spaces for work, play, and crop growing, as well as a technical work area and two bathrooms. There are areas for both work and enjoyment. As the teams gather the most exact data during the analogue trip, the crew is set to start in June of this year.
According to a statement from NASA, the crew will engage in a variety of mission-related tasks throughout the simulation, including simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat upkeep, personal hygiene, exercise, and crop growing.
In order to simulate as closely as possible the conditions on Mars when humans arrive, the crew will also have to deal with environmental stressors such limited resource availability, isolation, and equipment breakdown. During their residence, the team will face resource shortages, isolation, equipment breakdowns, and heavy workloads.
According to NASA’s mission brief, the key crew tasks during the analogue might include communications, crop growing, meal preparation and consumption, exercise, hygiene chores, maintenance work, personal leisure, science work, and sleep.
In order to increase the capabilities of genuine Martian teams’ exploration, crew members will spend time remotely controlling robotic components. A wandering robot and a drone that resembles a helicopter will also be under their control.
Three of these analogue expeditions are being planned by the American space agency to learn more about what would be needed for a habitat on our neighbouring asteroid. While the first analogue mission starts this year, the second and third missions will follow in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
“We’re really looking at how the crew performance and health changes based on realistic Mars restrictions and the lifestyle of the crew members. So, the lifestyle is what we’re trying to simulate by setting up a realistic environment and workload for the CHAPEA crew,” Raina MacLeod, CHAPEA deputy project manager said.
