University of Hawaii / Angelo Vermeulen
Makes a year exactly that “astronauts” volunteers were stuck in the “space” base. The intent of the “mission” HI-SEAS is to check how they would survive all that time in a Martian base, away from everything they want and know. But of course, not talking or real astronauts, or a base on the red planet. Not even a mission, itself . It’s just an experiment. The fourth of them in particular. And six people have been participants of the latter. Six people have had virtually contact with the outside world since entering through the door of the installation. What have drawn clear?
HI-SEAS, Mars on Earth
HI-SEAS is an acronym for Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation , an experiment conducted by NASA and supported by various private entities. The facilities represent a potential base on Mars. But obviously they not located on Mars, but on the slopes of Mauna Loa, one of the most famous volcanoes of Hawaii. At 2,500 meters above sea level, the volcanic terrain could well simulate the Martian surface. The only problem is that a little beyond, the snowy slopes of the volcano betrays the senses. But that’s not important. And is that six scientists simulate the mission have been “locked up” inside , with some scheduled departures (clad in spacesuits) in order to analyze their reaction.
HI-SEA
Because when you meet almost two years of home in a hostile environment without being able to leave a small and limited space, the individual reactions are almost unpredictable. We say almost because the main objective of HI-SEAS is precisely carefully consider human behavior in a similar situation that astronauts will live traveling to Mars. In this way we can anticipate potential problems, creating the most comfortable and pleasant as possible in such a complex mission. Members of the “crew” of HI-SEAS have had to learn to live on Mars, but being on our planet. And observers NASA, in turn, have learned how to facilitate coexistence.
The fourth mission
HI-SEA IV, “crew”
As mentioned earlier, HI-SEAS IV is the fourth of these scientific adventures. The first one started in 2013 with a first “mission” of just four months. Although the fundamentals are the same, this has been the longest of all, with 366 days of “exploration”. Scientists have had to live in small cubicles sharing a bathroom, communal living quarters and other units . In their daily lives they have conducted various experiments and tasks that explored the intricacies of coexistence and teamwork. As has developed the experiment, the duration has been lengthened, which exploited by NASA scientists for information. This fourth mission has had six scientists from around the world as members of the “crew”. This is how you have lived.
How is to live in HI-SEAS?
Sheyna E. Gifford, medical and official chronicler of the group, he explained the details of the mission, which has focused on group cohesion. According to her, she has not had time to feel lonely at any time. Not only by members of the group, but because any communication with the outside world (or our planet, which is what is simulated) is just twenty minutes away in time . The hardest thing for members, he explains, is to leave their daily lives and their families; but it is something that is counted from the beginning of the mission. Moreover, scientists, like astronauts, would be subject to constant activities that require them to work in teams: experiments, group dynamics, reviews …
This life “controlled” is necessary in such a small cabin when you can not go outside the space to rest psychologically. The data obtained, in fact, used to optimize these dynamics and needs of the real crew, in the future. In the opinion of Dr. Kim Binsted, lead researcher in charge of the “mission” HI-SEAS, it has been a success. We collected data of all kinds to better face the journey to the planet red . This seems to also think NASA has already funded the HI-SEAS 2019. And is that all information is limited when we speak of what will be probably the most important journey of our history. And we prepared to do everything for everyone.
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