HI-SEAS

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HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) is a simulated Mars station, located about halfway up the 4170 m high Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii .

As part of the HI-SEAS missions, mixed-sex teams are used to simulate isolation on Mars over longer periods of time (previously four months to a year) . The scientists came from different countries and had individual tasks. The cooperation between the University of Hawaii and NASA was intended to test how, under adverse circumstances, people can live together over a long period of time in a confined space.

conditions

The stay was specifically restricted to the hermetically sealed dome with a diameter of 11 m and a height of 6 m plus a 15 m² shipping container with equipment as a workshop. Every exit to the open air - at 2500 m above sea level - had to be planned well in advance and required a "space suit" to be put on. Showering was limited to 8 minutes a week. The diet consisted of permanently preserved foods, i.e. pasta, rice, canned tuna, cheese powder and freeze-dried foods. However, they managed to grow 20 tomatoes.

Each person had a small lockable room with a bed and a desk for privacy. The experimenters monitored the test subjects using sensors on their bodies and cameras in the work room and kitchen. Access to the Internet was only permitted to a very limited extent.

A doctor was also part of the HI-SEAS IV team, medical advice could also be obtained via telecommunication, an ambulance or helicopter would only have been brought in in a special emergency and the experiment would have been interrupted.

Communication took place with a time delay of 20 minutes, simulating the distance to Mars. Telephoning was not possible, emailing and blogging were.

Missions

HI-SEAS I

The first mission lasted four months from April to August 2013 (120 days) and the participants were

  1. Simon Engler (Canada, Computer Science, Robotics)
  2. Sian Proctor (USA, geologist)
  3. Kate Greene (USA, science writer)
  4. Oleg Abramov (USA, biologist)
  5. Yajaira Sierra-Sastre (USA, materials scientist)
  6. Angelo Vermeulen (Belgium, geologist, commander )

The research focus was on nutritional and psychological aspects.

HI-SEAS II

HI-SEAS II with a crew of six began on March 28, 2014 and lasted 120 days through July 25, 2014. The crew members were

  1. Casey Stedman (USA, pilot / geographer, commander )
  2. Tiffany Swarmer (USA, biologist)
  3. Ron Williams (USA, psychologist, chemist)
  4. Anne Caraccio (USA, chemist)
  5. Ross Lockwood (Canada, physicist)
  6. 'ucie Poulet (France, aerospace engineer)

Research subject: group cohesion and performance

HI-SEAS III

The third mission began on October 15, 2014 and ended on schedule after eight months on June 13, 2015. The crew consisted of six members and two reserve members:

  1. Martha Lenio (Canada, engineer, commander )
  2. Allen Mirkadyrov (USA, aerospace engineer)
  3. Sophie Milam (USA, engineer)
  4. Neil Sheibelhut (USA, biologist)
  5. Jocelyn Dunn (USA, aerospace engineer)
  6. Zak Wilson (USA, engineer)

The backup crew consisted of Ed Fix and Michael Castro.

The research focused on group sizes, isolation, group communication and problem-solving dynamics.

HI-SEAS IV

HI-SEAS IV began on August 28, 2015 and lasted until August 28, 2016 and was the longest HI-SEAS mission to date with 366 days (one year and one day longer due to the leap year).

The crew members were

  1. Carmel Johnston (USA, commander )
  2. Christiane Heinicke (Germany, physicist / engineer)
  3. Sheyna Gifford (USA, doctor)
  4. Andrzej Stewart (USA / Great Britain, engineer)
  5. Cyprien Verseux (France, astrobiologist)
  6. Tristan Bassingthwaighte (USA, architect)

The backup crew consisted of Oscar Mathews and Debbi-Lee Wilkinson.

Research subject: group cohesion and performance

HI-SEAS V

HI-SEAS V started on January 19, 2017 and ended after eight months in September 2017. The participants were

  1. Ansley Barnard (USA, engineer)
  2. James Bevington (USA, agricultural engineer)
  3. Joshua Ehrlich (USA, engineer)
  4. Laura Lark (USA, software engineer)
  5. Brian Ramos (USA, biomedical / electrical engineer)
  6. Samuel Payler (UK, astrobiologist / geologist)

Research subject: Investigations into the possible risks of tension in social groups and their effects on the scientific work to be done together ("Risk of Performance Decrements Due to Inadequate Cooperation, Coordination, Communication, and Psychosocial Adaptation within a Team")

HI-SEAS VI (canceled)

Hi-SEAS VI began with four members on February 15, 2018 and was supposed to last eight months, but had to be paused early on February 19, 2018 due to an accident and then canceled because a mission with only three participants was no longer feasible. According to the HI-SEAS organizers, the injured crew member who was electrocuted has recovered.

The participants were

  1. Sukjin Han (South Korea, economist, commander )
  2. Calum Hervieu (United Kingdom, Astrophysicist / Systems Engineer , Engineering Officer )
  3. Lisa Stojanovski (Australia, Mission Specialist Communications )
  4. Michaela Musilova (Slovakia, astrobiologist, science officer )

Subject of research: Geological fieldwork and life systems management; Social studies

experience

The 30-year-old German geophysicist Christiane Heinicke was able to extract around 100 liters of water that "tasted terrible" from one square meter of dry lava rock. It warns of the boredom experienced. After just a few months, there were repeated disputes about field operations and dangers. "The extreme situation led all participants to their limits." She would fly to Mars "when the technology is mature, the right people are there and there is a return flight to Earth".

The French on the team, Cyprien Verseux, said that the technical and psychological obstacles can be overcome and a Mars mission is therefore realistic.

NASA is aiming for a first manned mission to Mars around 2035; this would take 1 to 3 years. So far, only unmanned flights to the Red Planet have taken place.

Media and literature

  • Zak Wilson (HI-SEAS III) blogs about his experiences at almostmars
  • The film Red Heaven is in post-production via HI-SEAS IV
  • Christiane Heinicke (HI-SEAS IV) has written a book about her time in the habitat ( Life on Mars - My year in an extraterrestrial shared apartment, Knaur-Verlag, 2016 ).
  • About HI-SEAS IV a ten-part podcast entitled, in April 2018 Gimlet Media The Habitat ( The Habitat ) released.
  • Laura Lark from HI-SEAS V blogged about this at domeawayfromhome .
  • Ansley Barnard from HI-SEAS V blogs about this at martianstandardtime .
  • There is a mission trailer for HI-SEAS V on Youtube ( [1] )
  • Carmel Johnston (HI-SEAS IV) about the mission in the TED Talk on Youtube ( [2] ).
  • James Bevington (HI-SEAS V) blogged about the mission among jamesonmars .
  • Joshua Ehrlich (HI-SEAS V) blogged under small-steps-giant-leaps .
  • Brian Ramos (HI-SEAS V) blogged under thetravelingspaceman .

Similar experiments

  • Stays on the ISS usually last 6 months.
  • NASA had already conducted isolation experiments before; one with 4 and one with 8 months duration. Including this 12-month period from 2015/2016, NASA spent 1.2 million dollars (almost 1.1 million euros) on it. This is very cheap compared to space research or a space mission that goes wrong, says Kim Binsted, who is scientifically responsible for HI-SEAS.
  • In the Mars-500 isolation experiment , six people lived in isolation for 520 days from 2011 onwards.
  • Biosphere 2 was an experiment with the aim of creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that was independent of the outside world.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Six researchers lived in isolation for a year: eight minutes of showering per week orf.at, August 29, 2016, accessed August 29, 2016.