<p>Four scientists who spent a year in a Mars simulation recently came out of it and shared their experience of what it was like living on the red planet. They had to grow their own food to supplement a year's supply of freeze-dried meals while living inside the Mars Dune Alpha, a 1,700 sq ft 3D-printed habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Anca Selariu, who was part of the crew, describes the experience of being on Mars as “absolutely exhilarating”.</p>

<p>Talking to the Guardian, she said,&nbsp;“Humans will be getting to Mars at some point in the future, and just the opportunity to participate in any way one can to help that happen, hopefully in our lifetimes, is beyond compare."</p>

<p>Selariu added that the day humans step foot on Mars, she will celebrate knowing that she was a part of it. "I’ll be celebrating when we see the first step on Mars, knowing I contributed.&nbsp;It was an incredible honour and absolutely exhilarating," she said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>NASA plans to send humans to Mars by the end of the 2030s. Under the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (Chapea) mission, the Mars Dune Alpha provided the crew of four with the exact environment and challenges astronauts will ultimately face on Mars.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Selariu is a member of the US Naval Medical Research Unit and holds expertise in vaccines, gene therapy and infectious disease. Qualifications like these will help astronauts stay healthy and fit during their months-long journey to Mars.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-wants-to-release-biosignatures-of-life-from-icy-shells-of-europa-and-enceladus-743053">NASA wants to release biosignatures of life from icy shells of Europa and Enceladus&nbsp;</a></p>

<h2>The challenges of Chapea mission</h2>

<p>Selariu says that growing their own food and touching the green was "such a joy" as that is the one thing she missed most while being away from Earth. In fact, she recalled how just seeing a lettuce leaf while in isolation provoked feelings like homesickness and existential self-questioning.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The crew was also tested to see their response during simulated emergencies and stressors. Equipment failures and resource limitations were two of the things that they worked to handle. Selariu said the study aimed to understand how will humans adjust to isolation and confinement on Mars.</p>

<p>Something else only witnessed in sci-fi-shows and films is the communication gap. The crew had to communicate with ground control keeping in mind that each message in or out was delayed 22 minutes, something that will happen while it journeys through space. Selariu said, "45 minutes for back and forth means you really have to think ahead and formulate the communication clearly and thoroughly."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The second Chapea mission is scheduled to start next year.&nbsp;</p>


Four scientists who spent a year in a Mars simulation recently came out of it and shared their experience of what it was like living on the red planet. They had to grow their own food to supplement a year's supply of freeze-dried meals while living inside the Mars Dune Alpha, a 1,700 sq ft 3D-printed habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Four scientists who spent a year in a Mars simulation recently came out of it and shared their experience of what it was like living on the red planet. They had to grow their own food to supplement a year's supply of freeze-dried meals while living inside the Mars Dune Alpha, a 1,700 sq ft 3D-printed habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Anca Selariu, who was part of the crew, describes the experience of being on Mars as “absolutely exhilarating”. Talking to the Guardian, she said, “Humans will be getting to Mars at some point in the future, and just the opportunity to participate in any way one can to help that happen, hopefully in our lifetimes, is beyond compare." Selariu added that the day humans step foot on Mars, she will celebrate knowing that she was a part of it. "I’ll be celebrating when we see the first step on Mars, knowing I contributed. It was an incredible honour and absolutely exhilarating," she said. NASA plans to send humans to Mars by the end of the 2030s. Under the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (Chapea) mission, the Mars Dune Alpha provided the crew of four with the exact environment and challenges astronauts will ultimately face on Mars. Selariu is a member of the US Naval Medical Research Unit and holds expertise in vaccines, gene therapy and infectious disease. Qualifications like these will help astronauts stay healthy and fit during their months-long journey to Mars. Also Read: NASA wants to release biosignatures of life from icy shells of Europa and Enceladus The challenges of Chapea mission Selariu says that growing their own food and touching the green was "such a joy" as that is the one thing she missed most while being away from Earth. In fact, she recalled how just seeing a lettuce leaf while in isolation provoked feelings like homesickness and existential self-questioning. × The crew was also tested to see their response during simulated emergencies and stressors. Equipment failures and resource limitations were two of the things that they worked to handle. Selariu said the study aimed to understand how will humans adjust to isolation and confinement on Mars. Something else only witnessed in sci-fi-shows and films is the communication gap. The crew had to communicate with ground control keeping in mind that each message in or out was delayed 22 minutes, something that will happen while it journeys through space. Selariu said, "45 minutes for back and forth means you really have to think ahead and formulate the communication clearly and thoroughly." The second Chapea mission is scheduled to start next year.

When a lettuce leaf made a scientist feel homesick inside the Mars simulation

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When a lettuce leaf made a scientist feel homesick inside the Mars simulation