4 astronauts to participate in simulated Mars mission, nasa mars simulator, nasa mars mission, moon mission, HIRA, NASA, science

NASA is preparing for a test mission named the Human Exploration Research Analogue (HIRA) to explore how astronauts would adapt to life on Mars. The mission will replicate Martian surface conditions within an artificial habitat constructed at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston.

The team of astronauts—Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Sharif Al Romaithi, and Piyumi Wijesekara—will embark on this mission. They will reside in the simulated Mars habitat for 45 days, commencing from May 10 until June 24.

According to NASA, the HIRA experiment aims to examine how crew members adjust to isolation, solitude, and remote conditions before undertaking missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

This simulated mission entails inhabiting an artificial habitat resembling Mars for 45 days. In addition to scientific investigations, the team will conduct experiments akin to those conducted on Mars. They will utilise virtual reality to simulate walking on the Martian surface. Moreover, communication with Earth, including the transmission of messages from Mars to Earth with a real-time delay, will undergo testing during the mission.

This marks the second crew to occupy an artificial Mars habitat on Earth, following the completion of the first mission on March 18. Two additional HIRA trials are scheduled for later this year.

Meet the team:

Jason Lee: An associate professor at the University of Connecticut, specialising in Thermal Fluids. He holds degrees from the University of California and MIT.

Stephanie Navarro: A space operations officer and engineer with expertise in satellite communication programmes.

Sharif Al Romaithi: A distinguished pilot from Abu Dhabi with 16 years of experience in aviation. He is an Aerospace Engineer and Boeing 777/787 Pilot, having graduated from Embry-Riddle Aerospace University.

Piyumi Wijesekara: A NASA predoctoral scientist studying the impact of space on human health, particularly in Bioengineering Respiratory Physiology.