Posted on 08/23/2016 11:54:09 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Six scientists are close to wrapping up a year of near isolation in a Mars simulation on a Hawaii mountain.
The scientists are housed in a dome on Mauna Loa and can go outside only in spacesuits, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.
They manage limited resources while conducting research and working to avoid personal conflicts.
Communication is delayed the 20 minutes, the length it would take to relay messages from Mars.
Kim Binsted, principal investigator for the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, said this simulation is the second-longest of its kind after a mission that lasted 520 days in Russia.
"They're doing OK as far as we can tell," Binsted said of the scientists.
Previous simulations in the Mauna Loa dome have lasted four to eight months.
Mauna Loa soil is similar to what would be found on Mars. The area's high elevation means almost no plant growth.
NASA funded the study run through the University of Hawaii.
The scientists will have access to fresh produce and other foods not available to them in the dome when the simulation ends Aug. 28.
"They are clamoring to get into the ocean," Binsted said. "I think they will enjoy having a beer as well."
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Or, at least they were doing OK 20 minutes ago.
And the lower Mars gravity? How did they manage to simulate that? didn’t? oh. Then it wasn’t a Mars Simulation.
“And the lower Mars gravity? How did they manage to simulate that? didn’t? oh. Then it wasn’t a Mars Simulation”
Right. It’s a travesty that NASA hasn’t done the experiments to see if 1/3 G (Mars) or 1/6 G (Moon) is sufficient for mostly normal physiology.
Was Matt Damon there?
What’s the longest ISS tour been? My theory, if you can live for several months at zero G, any fraction of 1 is fine.
Did they simulate the radiation as well?
No. He left the dome without his spacesuit and suffocated.
I bet the astronauts were in Hawaiian shirts and relaxing in a hammock when not surfing.
Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornyenko just did 320 days on ISS. The longest single flight was Valery Polyakov on Mir. He did 14 straight months. Still a record for a single flight.
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