Shayna Gifford, Physician and Journalist at NASA’s Earth Station, Explains What It’s Like to Live on a Simulated Mars for a Year
In August 2015, six specialists – a space architect, an engineer, three scientists and a doctor – landed on one of the Hawaiian Islands. The NASA experiment to simulate life on Mars, in which these people participated, lasted a little over a year. As part of the project, six volunteers lived in a dome in the middle of a deserted, devoid of any vegetation slope of the Mauna Kea volcano at an altitude of 2,5 km above sea level. “Space” doctor Shayna Gifford wrote an article for the British edition of Aeon Magazine, in which she described how the team coped with sudden difficulties and what was the most difficult thing in life on the station.
According to Gifford, in the first place, the feeling of being “off the planet” arose due to poor communication with the outside world: it took forty minutes to send a message. This is the most important psychological moment that forced the team to act as if they really were on Mars. The doctor also told how the group coped with engine and airlock breakdowns, how they saved energy, got water and what they ate. For example, each member of the crew grew some kind of plant: peas, tomatoes, greens – without them, the health of the team would be in danger.
The hardest part, according to Gifford, is adapting to life with five strangers in a confined space. At the same time, it would be difficult for each crew member without each other, since the team consists of specialists in different fields. “For most people, the maximum discomfort is limited to overnight camping. You can get lost, but then you will still return to civilization, or it will find you on its own,” Gifford said. “On Mars, things are different. How will your worldview change if every person you see every day for many years is necessary for your survival?