Four men will begin living on Mars from June, here’s all you need to know

Four men will begin living on Mars from June this year. You might be surprised to know about the development but it is true. However, their Martian homes will be on Earth only.

As part of a year-long mission to prepare humans for the exploration of the Red Planet, the Scientists and engineers have reportedly set up 3D-printed habitat that will simulate conditions on Mars and four volunteers will begin to live in it.

The habitat that will simulate conditions on Mars will have private crew quarters, a kitchen, and dedicated areas for medical, recreation, fitness, work, and crop growth activities, as well as a technical work area and two bathrooms.

“During the simulation, crew members will carry out different types of mission activities, including simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, personal hygiene, exercise, and crop growth,” National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in a statement.

With the aim to learn more about what the situation the humans might face when they reach Mars in near feature, the crew members will face environmental stressors such as resource limitations, isolation, and equipment failure. Besides, they will be subjected to resource limitations, isolation, equipment failure, and significant workloads during their habitation.

“The major crew activities during the analog may consist of simulated spacewalks including virtual reality, communications, crop growth, meal preparation and consumption, exercise, hygiene activities, maintenance work, personal time, science work, and sleep,” Nasa has said in its mission brief.

In the 3D-printed habitat, the four men will spend time remotely operating robotic elements, which will likely be necessary for real crews on Mars to extend their exploration capabilities. They will also be controlling a helicopter-like drone and a roving robot.

According to reports, NASA is planning three such analog missions to better understand the requirements for a habitat on Mars. While the first mission will begin in June this year, the second and third missions will be conducted in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

While speaking about the first analog mission, Raina MacLeod, CHAPEA deputy project manager said, “We’re really looking at how the crew performance and health changes based on realistic Mars restrictions and the lifestyle of the crew members. So, the lifestyle is what we’re trying to simulate by setting up a realistic environment and workload for the CHAPEA crew.”

(With inputs from India Today)