Humans are used to Earth’s environment and now NASA wants to expand its horizons, and the space exploration organization is preparing for the first Human mission to Mars.
NASA’s CHAPEA 1 (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analogue) is a year-long Mars simulation program that begins on June 25, 2023.
Source: NASA
The mission is taking place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and is the first of three planned CHAPEA missions.
NASA state “The first CHAPEA mission, or Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, began on Sunday, June 25, when a four-member volunteer crew entered the house. at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to begin simulating 378 days of the surface of Mars.
“This is the first of three planned missions. NASA will use the research obtained from CHAPEA to determine how best to support the health and performance of the crew while living on the stars of the stars. Fire on a long-term exploration mission,” it added.
The crew of CHAPEA 1 consisted of four people:
- Kelly Haston: Scientist and mission commander.
- Ross Brockwell: Civil Engineer and Mission Flight Engineer.
- Nathan Jones: Emergency Physician and Mission Medical Officer.
- Yasmina Mirza: microbiologist and mission scientist.
Source: NASA
The goal of CHAPEA 1 was to study the effects of long-term isolation and confinement on crew health and performance.
The crew will live and work in a simulated Martian environment and will face a variety of stressors, including communication delays, resource constraints, and environmental challenges.
NASA states: “During the simulation of CHAPEA, crew members will perform a variety of mission activities, including simulated space walks, robot operations, habitat maintenance, personal hygiene, exercise and plant growth.”
“To be as realistic as possible for Mars, the crew will also have to contend with environmental stressors such as resource constraints, isolation, and equipment failure,” it added.
All in all, NASA’s CHAPEA 1 mission is a valuable opportunity to learn more about the challenges of living and working on Mars.
The mission will provide valuable insights into crew health and performance, and will help test new technologies and processes that could be used in future Mars missions.
The training the crew will undergo will also be invaluable to the astronauts who will be sent on future missions to Mars.
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Source: HIS Education