'Astronauts' Just Spent a Year Pretending to Be on Mars

Or more accurately, in Hawaii.

By jasonimms

NASA “astronauts” spent a year on “Mars,” which is to say in a Hawaiian volcano.

After 12 months stuck with each other in isolation, a team of substitute astronauts have emerged with huge amounts of data to contribute toward potential future missions to Mars.

The HI-SEAS IV (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) program was designed to mimic the pressures and confines of a manned-mission to Mars, which would see astronauts sharing a tiny habitat for as long as three years. A 36-foot wide domed habitat was set-up on Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, and housed a team of scientists that performed studies on cohabitation, and ran drills including simulated emergencies, and missions out onto the faux Martian surface to collect soil samples and the like while wearing full space suits.

After 12 months of living in a confined space, on only food that could practically be taken on a trip to Mars, the team seems relieved it’s over. “It is kind of like having roommates that are just always there and you can never escape them,” mission commander and soil expert Carmel Johnston told the BBC, “just imagine never being able to get away from anybody,” she said

The University of Hawaii is currently seeking applications for the next mission, planned for 2017. Applicants must meet NASA’s astronaut program requirements, but if it sounds like something you’d like to try, applications close on September 5.

Jason Imms is a freelance games and tech journalist. You can follow him on Twitter.

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