Ask Anca Selariu what it was like to live on Mars for a year, and there is no hesitation in her answer: “absolutely exciting”.
The US Navy microbiologist is one of four Nasa crew members who returned to Earth earlier this month after becoming the first humans to live on the red planet, or at least the closest the US space agency currently has to it.
Selariu and her fellow explorers, all volunteers, spent 378 days isolated from the rest of humanity locked inside Mars Dune Alpha, a 1,700-square-foot 3D-printed habitat at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. It was built to replicate the living conditions and challenges astronauts will eventually face when they get to Mars, ambitiously scheduled for the late 2030s.
For Selariu, who already had a keen interest in Mars and space exploration, her selection as science officer for such a groundbreaking and potentially consequential mission was worth every sacrifice, from missed vacations with friends and family, to just being able to wander outside for a breath of fresh air.
“Humans will come to Mars at some point in the future, and just the opportunity to participate in any way to help that happen, hopefully in our lifetime, is unparalleled,” she said.
“I am truly in awe of everything, all the efforts I have witnessed to make this dream a reality for all people. And yes, I will celebrate when we see the first step on Mars, knowing that I contributed. It was an incredible honor and absolutely exciting.”
Parts of the mission known as Chapea 1 (crew health and performance reconnaissance analogue) could have been filmed for The Martian, the 2015 sci-fi blockbuster that chronicled Matt Damon’s. desperate fight for survival as an astronaut stranded on Mars after a catastrophic windstorm.
Like Damon’s character in seclusion 142m miles from home, the Chapea crew had no resupply flights to rely on and had to grow crops including tomatoes and lettuce to sustain a year’s worth of freeze-dried prepackaged meals fill.
“For me personally, it was such a joy to see and touch a living, green thing, because that’s something you miss the most while you’re away from Earth,” Selariu said, explaining how, in the isolation of deep space, even something as rudimentary as a lettuce leaf can provoke powerful feelings ranging from homesickness to existential self-questioning.
“My connection to the Earth, and the deep feeling of being a true Earthling, a living entity of the planet Earth, you really feel it very deep in your core and you really understand what it means and how incredibly important that connection is real.” she said.
In addition, mission managers will regularly test the crew for their responses to simulated emergencies and stressors, including intensive workloads, equipment failures, and resource constraints.
The interplanetary lab rats, Selariu said, succeeded with flying colors.
“The study integrates all kinds of data from the behavioral and team dynamics perspective, and the question was not necessarily whether one can withstand isolation and confinement as will be found on Mars, but rather, ‘how will we adapt?'” she said.
“We were an incredibly functional team and very cohesive, and there were many moments we cherished together. Of course you sometimes realize you are not close to friends and family, but you do feel the support of everyone on the ground.”
Applicants for the first of three planned Chapea missions (the second starting next spring) were required to hold an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, and complete training similar to that of a flight-ready Nasa astronaut if selected.
Selariu, a Romanian-born member of the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit, brought expertise in vaccines, gene therapy and infectious diseases, skills that will be essential to maintaining the health of astronauts a minimum seven-to-nine-month journey from medical facilities . Earth.
She said one of the most challenging aspects of the mission was communicating with ground control because each message was delayed in or out of 22 minutes to repeat its journey through space.
“Having to have a conversation back and forth over 45 minutes means you really have to think ahead and formulate the communication clearly and thoroughly,” she said. “It’s actually very difficult to internalize.”
Nasa built Mars Dune Alpha to be as realistic as possible for a potential future base for astronauts. There is a greenhouse, medical area, exercise equipment and a lounge, as well as a small private bedroom for each of the volunteers, two bathrooms and a small “outdoor” enclosure with red sand underfoot for simulated Mars walks.
Many of the color schemes of the habitat are also red, to replicate how Martian soil would be used to 3D print significant parts of the base in situ, as opposed to the nearly impossible challenge and prohibitive cost of shipping heavy construction components from Earth .
Even the crew’s downtime, which Selariu says includes “a lot of TV and reading that’s downloaded,” and in her own case, working on her drawing skills — “I can’t claim I’ve been successful,” she said — is closely monitored by managers. who was eager. to measure the mental and behavioral health of people involved in long-duration spaceflight.
“The Chapea missions are critical to developing the knowledge and tools needed for humans to one day live and work on the red planet,” said Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator and a former space shuttle astronaut. said when the Chapea 1 crew appeared on July 6. .
Selariu said she has adjusted to real life “fairly easily” in the two weeks since, but would volunteer to go back in a heartbeat.
“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this human hope to get to Mars, and for the next crew, I will be cheering you on and am very excited for you to continue this amazing work,” she said. said.
