FLICKR, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIIOn Sunday (September 17), six scientists emerged from eight months of earthly isolation atop Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano in a NASA-funded experiment intended to simulate the social isolation of a Mars mission and explore the resulting psychological effects. As the Associated Press reported, after months eating mostly freeze-dried food, the scientists reveled in the fresh fruits of Hawaii.
By shedding light on the traits that helped scientists cope with the simulation, the study should help NASA compose ideal crews for actual missions to the red planet, which would last two to three years. This was the fifth simulation, out of a planned six, in a project known as HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation).
The researchers—four men and two women—were stationed in a two-story structure within a vinyl-covered dome. Project leaders situated the dome on Mauna Loa because the location is isolated and also because the soil of the volcano is thought to be similar to Mars’s surface, according the project’s website. When researchers left the dome to do field work, they traveled in teams and wore space suits. Their only communications ...
