An all-volunteer crew on a simulated trip to Mars 'returned” to Earth on Sept. 23, 2024, after being isolated in a tiny habitat at Johnson Space Center in
Sep 25, 2024NASA’s HERA crew members enjoy their first glimpse of the outside after a 45-day stay inside the analog environment. From left to right: Sergii Iakymov, Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, Erin Anderson, and Brandon Kent.An all-volunteer crew on a simulated trip to Mars “returned” to Earth on Sept. 23, 2024, after being isolated in a tiny habitat at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Their work is contributing to the science that will propel humanity to the Moon and eventually Mars.
At ingress, Anderson, a structural engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, told HERA’s mission control, “We’re going to take good care of this ship of yours on our journey.” As their mission progressed, the team experienced longer communication delays with mission control, eventually reaching five-minute lags. This simulates the challenges astronauts might face on Mars, where delays could be up to 20 minutes. Scientists studying HERA crew are interested to see how this particular group builds independent, autonomous workflows, despite this communication delay. McCandless holds a skeletal framework of a Mars rover.
Iakymov, an aerospace engineer with more than 15 years of experience in research and design, is carrying postcards and photos of family and friends. The students asked the crew about life inside the habitat, the challenges of isolation, and what it might be like to live on Mars. They were also curious about the crew’s favorite foods and activities. McCandless shared her love for cheddar crisps and freeze-dried Pad Thai and proudly showed off favorite sports teams from her home state of Kansas, much to the cheers of the crowd. Anderson displayed the massive collection of comics and fantasy books that she read inside the habitat.
HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) Johnson Space Center Missions NASA Centers & Facilities
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