About a year ago, NASA initiated an experiment, the purpose of which is to imitate living conditions on Mars. Researchers were faced with the task of determining whether a team of Martian colonists could live and work, maintaining social ties with each other and working capacity at the proper level, while being in relative isolation and being in rather tough conditions.
People who have to live in a colony on Mars or stay there for some time, so it was necessary to study their capabilities and resistance to stress. After all, in addition to the main work, they will also need to deal with life support, including growing food, cleaning and take on other routine obligations, while living under the dome in relative crowdedness and constant contact with a limited number of people. All this really affects the psyche and can cause stress. To do this, NASA was recreated as close to real conditions as possible, in which six subjects lived a whole year.
The experiment was finally completed, so six of its participants were able to leave their dome, built for the occasion at the foot of Mauna Loa volcano located in Hawaii. This place is very similar to Mars in terms of soil composition and landscape, almost completely devoid of vegetation.
During the experiment, the team showed good results and demonstrated good ability to survive. For example, the subjects conducted an experiment on the extraction of water, which is on Mars, but is in a state of deep freezing. The presence of water is a very important point, and the ability to get it yourself in the conditions of the complete absence of other options is a top priority. Moreover, the water reserves that future colonists will bring to Mars will be very limited.
The experiment began on 28 August last year, and volunteers from different countries took part in it. The international “crew” was led by Carmel Johnson, an American environmentalist and soil scientist. The roles of the pilot, the doctor and the architect were taken on by her three compatriots. The company was a German American physicist and astrobiologist from France.
This is not the last experiment of this kind. The space agency is already providing grants for new research, which will continue until the end of 2019. At the moment there is a set of volunteers. All these experiments will help NASA better plan future space missions and teach the agency’s experts how to select the crew for long flights.
The article is based on materials .
Comments
Post a Comment