Lava Tube 'Astronauts' Are Preparing for Mars on a Hawaiian Volcano
Isaac Schultz
Today 1:10PM
The lunar and Martian analog base sits 8,200 feet up Moana Loa.
Image: HI-SEAS
Moonwalking on Mauna Loa. That’s been the name of the game for the astronaut candidates of the HI-SEAS habitat atop the Hawaiian volcano, and today, team members shared the latest updates on their extreme mission at the European Geosciences Union’s general assembly.
A crew member investigating rock within a Mauna Loa lava tube.
Image: HI-SEAS
HI-SEAS, or the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, is a mock extraterrestrial base that has been operational since 2013. It offers scientists, engineers, and members of other fields eager to cut their space-traveling teeth the opportunity to live on the mountain. The astronauts-in-training live 8,200 feet up the mountain for up to a year, conducting business as they would on a permanent base on the Moon or Mars. Their work offers insight on how humans would actually manage to live off-planet in the future.
“There is so much that we still need to learn from how humans interact under these challenging conditions, particularly on how to create a space family environment for everyone to get along and work together well,” said Michaela Musilova, the director of HI-SEAS, in an email. “Then, we also need to figure out how to solve problems that are likely to occur on long-duration missions, which is something that has plenty of room for improvement.”
To that end, HI-SEAS recently ran an experiment in hydroponics to grow lettuce within the habitat, an endeavor performed on the International Space Station in 2015. When storms arrive on the islands, the team puts the habitat in low-power mode, as it relies on a solar-powered generator.
More:
https://gizmodo.com/lava-tube-astronauts-are-preparing-for-mars-on-a-hawaii-1846780105
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