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Leaving a capsule no larger than a modest kitchen, the four-person team from NASA's latest study on human exploration research came back to Earth last month after a 45-day mission on the fictional asteroid Geographos. Although the capsule never left the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, the results of the mission could determine how astronauts in the space agency could someday manage isolation, containment and the sleep deprivation that may occur during interplanetary travel. the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has long adored cosmic exploration. He saw this mission as a modest but significant step towards far-flung journeys. NASA will use lessons from this team to establish protocols for human travel to Mars. Unwilling to sleep only five hours a night and subjected to a steady stream of invasive physiological and mental tests, Daniels volunteered to live with three strangers in the cramped capsule, made up of a bridge of 39, flight, from a salon and a hygienic "module." Daniels spoke to Scientific American about his experience
[ An edited transcript of the 39, interview follows: ]
Tell me about a normal day in the capsule.
We would wake up at 7 in the morning to a song of our choice being blasted on the speakers, which is just as they do on the International Space Station.We had an eclectic mix of waking songs, as each crew member had different tastes.It was going from Arlo Guthrie to the Beatles through Avicii We loved the loud and fast sounds to help us so
Our morning began by putting a lot of body sensors, such as voice recorders and activity monitors. The rest of the day was filled with flight simulation scenarios and scientific tasks. For example, we did simulations in which we used a robotic arm to capture incoming cargo shipments. Or we would do simulations of extravehicular activity – venturing on the asteroid to collect rocks and do geological surveys. We also grew shrimp and hydroponic plants. Some days were punctuated by simulated emergencies, whether in space systems or the health of the crew. We would have three meals a day, with one hour each. I found that the food was delicious and varied, a true marvel of food engineering! It was usually freeze-dried and our kitchen simply consisted of a water dispenser and a small convection oven.
We would go to bed at 2 o'clock in the morning. We were therefore limited in the amount of sleep we could have.
How did sleep deprivation affect you?
Our team did surprisingly well with sleep deprivation. I was expecting it to be a lot harder than it was. I think we can thank the lighting protocol for helping with this – during the day, the lights were brighter and more blue, and in the evening they would become weaker and more red. Staying busy also helped us stay alert. There were, however, moments – like when I stopped, if I tried to read a book – that I would fall asleep. So, I could not read books inside the capsule. The sleeping pods themselves were not much larger than a human body, and they had a padded mattress and white walls for insulation. They had a cocoon feel – very comfortable!
What were the biggest challenges your crew faced during the mission?
When you're in a confined space, things like body odor, as silly as it may seem-can be a great thing. So we all made commitments, like being hygienic and keeping the work area tidy. If we lost hair, we would clean it. And we try not to leave our pens and other personal items all over the table. It was important to keep a nice working place and live well
Regarding personal cleanliness, how did it work exactly?
We each have 30 minutes of "sanitation time" each day. In the hygiene module, called "serenity", we had a shower, toilet and sink. So it was pretty normal with regard to the shower. It's a thing that sets it apart from a real space mission – it was rather luxurious in terms of hygiene
How did you spend your free time?
Our group played Scrabble every day. We had access to Netflix, so we could watch some shows and movies. And one of the fun traditions of our group was "Sophisticated Saturday", where we dressed our beautiful clothes every week and had a meal together – it made us feel like we were civilized and really helped us to bond as a group. As the mission progressed, we felt closer to each other, and we certainly learned a lot from each other. It was important to build these social relationships when we were confined together like this.
How many contacts did you have with the outside world?
The contact was limited, but it suited us perfectly. Every week we had to have a private telephone conversation with a psychologist and a doctor. We also had a 30-minute conversation each week with our friends or family. These conversations were huge morale boosters for me. The other contact we had regularly was with the control of the mission. We used radios to talk to mission control. One interesting thing was to understand how a radio delay would impact our communication with the ground. As we move further away from Earth, our communications have been delayed. At the longest time, there was a one-way trip time of five minutes for a message. It would take 10 minutes to send a message and wait for an answer. For things that required a quick response, it caused some frustration, although I think our team worked well during the long communication times.
If it was for an outside contact, how did NASA collect the samples?
For some of our biological samples, we had a stock of several hundred pre-loaded urine bottles in the space capsule. When these were full, we put them in the airlock and pretended to dump them in space. But in reality, the ground control had a hidden hatch – we put them on one side, and they took them away from each other. For blood sampling, we passed our arm through a curtain, and there was a phlebotomist on the other side. We called this person "the phlebotots". They drew our blood without us seeing or hearing them.
What did you miss most in the outside world?
appreciation for things at home. From basic things like ice cream or talking to my family on the outside. I've also missed out on doing my normal life, like work. Basically, I missed the job! Ha! I've also missed having the freedom to choose my daily schedule. When we were there, 100% of our day was scheduled for us. We had very little decision-making power
What did not you miss to the outside world?
We have been cut off from many of the social pressures we face in our normal lives. lived, and it was nice [to escape]. And in a way, even not having to make decisions about our daily schedules was nice –
What was the most exciting part of the mission?
Takeoff and reentry were two highlights. During takeoff, they simulated the roar of the engines, and our video monitors showed a view as if we had taken off from the Earth. On our way back, we flew over the moon, used our engines for a burn to adjust our trajectory, and then gathered at the first level of the module to observe parachute deployments. When we got closer to Earth, they simulated the wind and other sounds we would hear. So, these are very exciting moments. The in-between was more monotonous. I think that is also true in space travel – takeoff and landing are more exciting, and the in – between is more routine.
How is it felt to finally come out of the capsule?
had two exits. One left the space capsule to go to the big warehouse. Our friends and family were there to welcome us, and we felt really accomplished. The second exit was when we left the warehouse to go outside – and by that time it really hit me: there was hot, humid air in Houston, there It was windy and the moon was up. Just being out was really emotional relief for me
How did you celebrate?
We ate junk food and drank beer.
You were in the capsule for 45 days. A round trip mission to Mars would take more than a year and a half. Do you want to register?
No. This mission has made me aware of how much there is on Earth and the difficulty of a long-term mission. So for me personally, no, but I hope that what we did in the HERA capsule will make it easier for future astronauts who choose to do it.
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