Preparing for the Future
Mars Crew Experiment
Learning what’s needed to send teams of astronauts safely and successfully to Mars
The Problem
A mission to Mars and back will last well over a year. During that time a small team of 4-6 astronauts will have to work and live together, with limited support from Earth due to the 20 minute delay required for radio signals to reach back and forth. What psychological, emotional, and group stresses will this cause? What criteria should be used for selecting astronauts for this unprecedented journey? How should they be trained and prepared?
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The Solution
Mars Crew Experiment selects teams of six individuals and has them live in conditions similar to what a Mars mission will experience for a year. During this time we study their group dynamics, work performance, and ability to respond to unexpected challenges. This provides key insight into how to construct astronaut teams for actual missions to Mars.
How We Do It
We carefully select teams of six individuals with the educational, psychological, and physical qualifactions to current serve as astronauts. They live together for 12 months in a simulated Mars habitat located in Hawaii. They perform regular survival tasks as would be required on Mars, only exit the habitat while wearing space suits, and have no communication with the outside world aside from limited E-mail with a simulated time delay. During the year we carefully observe their performance, and at the conclusion debrief each astronaut carefully and read the journals they have each kept about their experience. Our team of psychologists and engineers then draws conclusions for use in future study and eventual Mars missions.