NASA Seals Crew Members In Isolated Chamber For Yearlong Test Of Mars Mission—Here’s What To Know

mike591@kbin.social to Science@kbin.social – 64 points – NASA Seals Crew Members In Isolated Chamber For Yearlong Test Of Mars Mission—Here’s What To Know
forbes.com

Four volunteer crew members entered a Mars-realistic 3D printed habitat.

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We still have a lot to learn of the psychology of the situation. Results from these studies are always interesting. Even if it is far from the real thing.

It is also a perfect starting point for a post apocalyptic novel. "The only group to survive the end was a small band of researchers, stuck in their isolation experiment."

I wonder what specifically they're interested in vs long deployments in Antarctica (people do 12 months rotations in some stations there).

I found this article discussing the psychology of placements in Australian antarctic stations: https://psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2021/february-march-issue-1/life-in-the-australian-antarctic-program.

The differences as I see them are:

  1. Smaller crew
  2. No unsuited outdoor time
  3. Smaller space
  4. Communication latency / outages
  5. Personal belongings weight/volume limits
  6. Dietary restrictions

those doing a antartic winter may as well have the no suited outdoor time, poor clothing choice will be death almost as quick

I'm thinking a lot of the equipment is different as well, and since they mention simulating equipment malfunctions, that plays an important part, especially with the additional limitations/simulated dangers.

Antarctica trips have all of those limits you mentioned, they'll just be worse for Mars. While they can operate sort of freely for a few months, once winter sets in, they are just as isolated as another planet. They just get the advantage of easier setup then Mars.

Do we actually intend to send humans to Mars in any reasonable timeframe?

I guess that depends on what you consider reasonable. I figure if they're starting with simulations such as this now, it's reasonable to expect an actual manned mission in maybe 20 years.

Hard to say - There's still a lot of hazards yet to be accounted for: a lot more radiation exposure, literal poison in the soil, severe weather, safe and affordable supply chain, etc.