Wednesday, 24th April 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Boredom was hardest part of yearlong dome isolation: NASA crew

The six-member crew emerged Sunday from a dome in Hawaii, on the barren northern slope of the Mauna Loa volcano, where they were studied as part of the US space agency's mission to send people to Mars by the 2030s.
(FILES): This file photo taken on March 10, 2015, courtesy of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, shows the exterior of the HI-SEAS habitat on the northern slope of Mauna Loa in Hawaii. NASA's Hawaii Space Exploration Analogue and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program officially ended Sunday, August 29, 2016. Six crew members returned to civilization following one-year of isolation. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / University of Hawaii at Manoa / Neil Scheibelhut"/ NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / NO A LA CARTE SALES / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS == / AFP PHOTO / University of Hawaii at Manoa / Neil Scheibelhut / == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / University of Hawaii at Manoa / Neil Scheibelhut"/ NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / NO A LA CARTE SALES / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==

(FILES): This file photo taken on March 10, 2015, courtesy of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, shows the exterior of the HI-SEAS habitat on the northern slope of Mauna Loa in Hawaii.<br />NASA’s Hawaii Space Exploration Analogue and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program officially ended Sunday, August 29, 2016. Six crew members returned to civilization following one-year of isolation.<br />== RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: “AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / University of Hawaii at Manoa / Neil Scheibelhut”/ NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / NO A LA CARTE SALES / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS == / AFP PHOTO / University of Hawaii at Manoa / Neil Scheibelhut / == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: “AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / University of Hawaii at Manoa / Neil Scheibelhut”/ NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / NO A LA CARTE SALES / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==

Monotony was the hardest part of a yearlong NASA experiment about the mental and psychological rigors of longterm spaceflight, crew members said after the test ended.

The six-member crew emerged Sunday from a dome in Hawaii, on the barren northern slope of the Mauna Loa volcano, where they were studied as part of the US space agency’s mission to send people to Mars by the 2030s.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama congratulated them, writing on Twitter: “Congrats to NASA and the scientists taking us a step closer to Mars. Now enjoy Hawaii and get a shave ice!”

The first HI-SEAS experiment involved studies about cooking on Mars and was followed by a four-month and an eight-month cohabitation mission.

Two more HI-SEAS missions are planned starting in January 2017 and 2018. Both are scheduled to last eight months, and organizers are already looking for volunteers.

In this article

0 Comments