The crew members of the US space agency NASA’s Mars mission came out of their spacecraft after a year-long journey. However, this spacecraft never left Earth. In fact, NASA has built a habitat simulating the atmosphere of Mars at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where four crew members came out at around 5 pm on Saturday after being isolated from the outside world for more than 12 months. The purpose of this campaign is to face the challenges that may arise in the future while sending missions to Mars.
The crew members involved in this simulated a spacewalk i.e. ‘Marswalk’ and also grew vegetables. Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell and Nathan Jones entered the 3D-printed habitat on June 25, 2023. Jones, a physician and mission medical officer, said their 378 days in captivity “went by quickly.”
The four scientists lived within a 1,700-square-foot space in an environment similar to the Red Planet. They faced the challenges expected on Mars in the future, including limited resources, isolation and a delay of up to 22 minutes in communication with Earth.
NASA said two additional such missions are planned. According to NASA, the crew members will continue to walk in space and collect information on factors related to physical and behavioral health and performance. Steve Corner, deputy director of the Johnson Space Center, said, “Mars is our goal.” He called this project an important step towards America’s goal of becoming a leader in global space exploration efforts. (AP)