The simulated flight to Mars’ moon Phobos began Friday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and will last for 45 days.
The agency said that while inside Hera’s structure, the men would experience up to five minutes of delay in contacting the rest of the world. The goal, according to NASA, is to help train NASA crew and coordinators to practice communicating under these conditions, ensuring smooth operation.
“In this HERA campaign, we learned more about how teams operate in an autonomous environment where they have limited contact with Earth,” said Brandon Fysi, Search Operations Scientist and Integration Elements Scientist at NASA’s Human Research Program, or HRP. .
“What we learn will explain how to conduct future exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit,” said Vessi. “This will help ensure that our astronaut crew can work effectively on the unique challenges of long-duration spaceflight, including communications delays.”
This is the second of four “Campaign 6” missions conducted by HERA to facilitate research into “the behavioral and collective performance of long-duration missions,” NASA’s website says. The final mission is set as part of the campaign on September 12, 2022.
To qualify for assignments, individuals must be healthy non-smokers between the ages of 30 and 55. Applicants to be part of the HERA crew must submit their resume to the test subject screening group at Johnson Space Center and must pass a physical and psychological examination. specified.
HRP is expected to conduct 15 studies during missions to collect data that will help NASA land the first woman and first people of color on the moon, a plan known as “Artemis.” The goal is to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon, which will help inform the agency as it prepares to send astronauts to Mars, according to NASA.
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