Daily Mirror

Just back from Mars.. now I need a holiday

Scientists walk free from a year-long stay in an isolation unit on barren slope of a volcano to simulate life on the Red Planet

- BY CHRISTOPHE­R BUCKTIN US Editor chris.bucktin@mirror.co.uk

SIX scientists emerged from simulating life on Mars for a year yesterday – and were looking forward to their first holiday “back on earth”.

The three men and three women had spent 12 months cooped up together in isolation on a Hawaiian volcano, at 8,500ft above sea level.

Health and Science officer and journalist Sheyna Gifford said: “I’ve been at it 12 months straight, on call for almost 365.25 days. For me, for now – I’m going on vacation.”

The crew managed on limited resources while researchin­g the viability of travel to Mars and how to avoid arguments in space.

Team members – housed in a dome 36 feet in diameter and 20 feet tall – were only allowed out in spacesuits, with oxygen, to replicate Red Planet conditions.

A barren north slope of the Mauna Loa volcano, on the island of Hawaii, was chosen as its terrain resembles Mars.

During their stay, the team made their own cheese and found water, despite the dry climate. They were sent food every four months and fresh water every two. At one point they could only bathe in buckets.

Communicat­ions were delayed 20 minutes to mimic the time lag, and the team rehearsed emergencie­s such as high radiation levels.

The Hi-Seas (Hawaii Space Exploratio­n Analog and Simulation) project included a French astrobiolo­gist, German physicist and four Americans – pilot, architect and soil scientist, as well as Dr Gifford. She, Carmel Johnston, Christiane Heinicke, Andrzej Stewart, Cyprien Verseux and Tristan Bassingthw­aighte produced a blog called Life On Mars. Frenchman months is the journey time NASA plans for its first Mars mission Diameter of the dome they all lived in for a year. It was 20ft tall Cyprien Verseux said the project showed a 40 million-mile trip to the planet planned by 2030 could succeed. He added: “Technologi­cal and psychologi­cal obstacles can be overcome.” Dr Gifford joked: “In the last 24 hours, I’ve contemplat­ed having a business card made that reads: ‘I

A mission to Mars is now possible, we can overcome all of the obstacles

CYPRIEN VERSEUX CREW MEMBER OF HI-SEAS PROJECT

have recently returned from Mars. Please speak slowly.

“‘My sincerest apologies for knowing nothing about that song/movie/candidate for high political office/celebrity’s latest spouse/kid/dog/tattoo/wardrobe malfunctio­n’.”

One outing they missed was a trip to

the cinema to watch Oscar-nominated movie The Martian, starring Matt Damon, about an astronaut stranded on Mars. It was released two weeks after they began the NASA project.

Only the Russians have staged a longer experiment, lasting 520 days.

Applicatio­ns to join the next NASA simulation missions, in January 2017 and 2018, close on September 5.

Scientists are looking into the possibilit­y aliens are trying to contact us via a freak burst of radio signals coming from a sun-like star known as HD 164595, around 95 light years away.

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 ??  ?? EMERGENCY Crew test out their radiation suits BEDROOMS Unit’s cramped quarters
EMERGENCY Crew test out their radiation suits BEDROOMS Unit’s cramped quarters
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 ??  ?? MEALTIME The group ate together for a year
MEALTIME The group ate together for a year

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