Current Mission

These six astronauts are currently in the Habitat

Current Mission

The current mission began December 14, 2020 and will end December 13, 2021. Our current crew is doing well inside the habitat, producing valuable data for study.

Rodrigo Alviso

Hola! I’m so excited to be part of this experiment because I want to do everything I can to help us humans explore the rest of the solar system before Earth is destroyed and we all have to move out. I play the guitar and I’m very happy they are letting me bring it for the experiment even though a guitar might be too big to really bring into space. I’m originally from Alajuela, Costa Rica (that’s the city with the main airport even though people say they are landing in the capitol, San Jose). I came to the U.S. to study biomedical engineering at Arizona State University and I’ve remained in the land where football is played by men with helmets and shoulder pads ever since.

Grace Cains

I’m super psyched for this challenge! I’m originally from Chicago,  and I went to school at Northwestern University. Two years ago I got a Master’s Degree in organic chemistry, and since then I was working on a project funded by the EPA analyzing mercury levels in salmon to get generalized environmental data about the Great Lakes. I discovered that doing science in an office is not for me, so I was excited to be accepted for this mission (even though the dome will be about the same size as the cubicle where I worked. . .).  

Andrew Chandler

I’m thrilled to be selected for this mission. I applied last year when NASA was accepting astronaut applications. I made it to the third round where they fly 25 people to Houston for in person interviews and tests, but I wasn’t one of the 10 that they finally selected. I think this is a substantial way to help with space exploration, though, and afterwards I plan to look for a job as an engineer with Boeing or Space- X. In college I competed in Division I Cross Country, and last year I did a marathon in the spring and again in the fall. It’s going to be a challenge to stay in shape in the dome, but I plan to spend a lot of time on the treadmill.

Ishant Kashyap

I’m really excited to start our training! I’m from Long Island, but growing up JFK airport was my second New York home. Each summer my parents took me to India to visit my relatives there, and we always visited different cities in Europe on our way home. I’ve also travelled with my parents to China, Korea, Thailand, Japan, and many more places that I can hardly remember. I’ve obviously never been to Mars, so this will be the next best thing. Travel is probably what I’ll miss most while I’m in the dome. I plan to use some of the time in the dome to work on my thesis. I’m a PHD candidate in clinical psychology at the Syracuse University. I’m putting my degree on hold for this experiment, but I hope to graduate about a year after we’re done.

Misaka Saito

I’m so happy to have been selected for this mission and I can’t wait for training to start! I just completed a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Michigan, and I hope to use some of the data from our mission in my research if I pursue a Doctorate. I grew up in Lansing, Michigan, where I admit I was a bit of a nerdy teenager that spent most of her time on school but I also played trumpet and I was in the University of Michigan marching band. I hate snow (I’ve only been to Japan once, but my parents are from Osaka where the average annual snowfall is under one inch, so it must be something in my blood). I’m looking forward to missing the Midwest winter while in the dome.

Maya Venigan

I’m from Orlando, and my family kept a computer with the NASA countdown clock in our kitchen. My biggest childhood memories are driving with my brother, sister, and my dad to Cape Canaveral to watch launches of the space shuttle and other rockets. My dad wanted to inspire us to be explorers, and with me it worked! (My youngest brother is studying accounting at UCF and my sister is a special ed teacher, but they’re forgiven. . .). After our time in the dome I hope to work at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California or in Houston with NASA. I want to get a pilot’s license and I will study for the written exam in the dome so I can start flying right after the 12 months are through.