NASA’s Four Volunteers to Spend a Year in Mars Simulator in Houston

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has carefully selected 4 people to participate in a long term experiment, which will prepare them for a real stay at the red planet or Mars, for future missions. The four participants will be staying in a Mars simulator for a year starting this June. This mission is part of a 3 year planned one-year Mars surface simulation and has been named Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA). 

The Mars simulator is built in the Johnson Space Center in Huston, Texas. It is a 1,700 square foot habitat which is 3D printed. It has a gym, bedrooms, a farm where they can grow food, and an outdoor area where Mars spacewalks can be mimicked. During their stay in the simulator, they will have to deal with environmental stressors like equipment failure, limited resources and isolation. The data received by NASA during this mission will help make real Mars missions a success in the future. 

NASA had a list of criteria that needed to be fulfilled for selecting the most suitable participants for the mission. The chosen participants had to have strong a scientific knowledge about math, engineering and technology and fall between the ages of 30 and 55. They were also required to be physically fit, free from dietary issues and motion sickness. The names of the selected individuals are Kelly Haston, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones and Alyssa Shannon.