We spent 45 days in a simulated Mars habitat built by NASA – this is the brutal reality of life on Red Planet

Four volunteer scientists have just returned from a 45-day stay in NASA’s most realistic Mars simulation yet.

The crew remained completely isolated in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) – a 60-square-meter habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas – until Monday, when the hatch opened and they finally “returned to Earth.”

While inside, they completed 18 different studies that will help NASA and other space agencies learn how humans respond to the confinement, demanding working conditions and remote environments of deep space missions, NASA said.

NASA has set a goal of getting people to Mars by 2030. With that deadline quickly approaching, simulated missions like HERA provide important insights into how astronauts might survive the farthest human space mission ever.

The four-person crew – consisting of Erin Anderson, Sergii Iakymov, Sarah Elizabeth McCandless and Brandon Kent – ​​was the third to enter the HERA habitat.

Their mission was unique in that it included the more detailed assignments intended to recreate the living and working experience on Mars as closely as possible.

During the month-and-a-half simulation, the crew performed a wide range of tasks.

Their assignments include harvesting plants from a hydroponic garden, raising shrimp, deploying a small satellite, conducting a virtual “walk” on the surface of Mars and flying simulated drones over the Martian terrain.

“These activities are intended to immerse the crew in the task-oriented mentality of astronauts,” NASA wrote in a press release statement.

NASA even simulated the communication delays that real astronauts might one day encounter on Mars. During a real Mars mission, it can take up to twenty minutes for communications from Earth to reach the astronauts on the red planet, and vice versa.

All the while, the crew was monitored by NASA scientists to assess how their daily tasks, routine, and the isolation and confinement of their habitat affected their behavior and performance.

When they weren’t hard at work, the crew read books, played cards, built Legos and listened to music.

The HERA mission crew entered the habitat on August 9

Their mission was unique in that it included the more detailed assignments designed to mimic the living and working experience on Mars as closely as possible, including growing hydroponic plants.

The volunteers also farmed shrimp, deployed a small satellite, conducted a virtual ‘walk’ on the surface of Mars and flew simulated drones over the Martian terrain

On Monday afternoon, the crew finally emerged from their small habitat, marking the end of their mission.

“Following our safe passage to Mars and our safe return to Earth, as the crew of Campaign 7, Mission 3, we hereby officially turn over this reconnaissance vessel to the flight analogue operations team,” Kent said as he departed HERA.

“We hope this ship continues to serve as a safe home for future HERA crews,” he added.

NASA also operates another, larger simulated Mars habitat, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA. This 1,700 square meters is large enough to support volunteers for up to a year.

The first CHAPEA volunteer team left their habitat in July.

If you think you have what it takes to spend weeks in a cramped Mars simulation, NASA is actively seeking non-smoking volunteers between the ages of 30 and 55 for the next HERA mission.