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Scientists Enter Hawaii Dome In Eight-Month Mars Space Mission Study (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Six scientists have entered a dome perched atop a remote volcano in Hawaii where they will spend the next eight months in isolation to simulate life for astronauts traveling to Mars, the University of Hawaii said. The study is designed to help NASA better understand human behavior and performance during long space missions as the U.S. space agency explores plans for a manned mission to the Red Planet. The crew will perform geological field work and basic daily tasks in the 1,200-square-foot (365 m) dome, located in an abandoned quarry 8,000 feet (2.5 km) above sea level on the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. There is little vegetation and the scientists will have no contact with the outside world, said the university, which operates the dome. Communications with a mission control team will be time-delayed to match the 20-minute travel time of radio waves passing between Earth and Mars. "Daily routines include food preparation from only shelf-stable ingredients, exercise, research and fieldwork aligned with NASA's planetary exploration expectations," the university said. The project is intended to create guidelines for future missions to Mars, some 35 million miles (56 million km) away, a long-term goal of the U.S. human space program. The NASA-funded study, known as the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (Hi-SEAS), is the fifth of its kind.
We only spent a couple months at a time making holes in the ocean. Plus we had a lot more possible social interactions (100+ in a boat, as opposed to six in the dome).
So, worth the trouble of doing. Not like it's going to cost trillions (or even billions, or even large numbers of millions) to do....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
I'm truly impressed by how far some Americans are willing to go to escape a Trump presidency. ;)
Unfortunately, they will emerge from their Hawaiian Dome to find that US President Mark Zuckerberg has purchased all the land surrounding the dome, and turned it into a sort of Dr. Moreau island, where they will need to play through a "The Most Dangerous Game" / "Escape from New Your" scenario.
Under Zuckerberg, American folks will be looking back to the Trump Presidency as, "The good old days" . . .
US President Zuckerberg? Remember in 12 years that you heard it first, here on scenic Slashdot, "Nudes for Nerds" . . .
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
I'm also impressed how Americans can just instantly know how to do a research project better than the principal investigator without looking at the PI's reasons for doing the project his way.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.