At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, four people lived and worked inside one windowless capsule for 45 days in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) to simulate a long-duration mission to Mars’ moon, Phobos. Brian Dykas of Ohio, Carrie Harris of Washington, Daniel Monlux of Utah and Osama Alian of Michigan entered the mock spacecraft on Jan. 24 and emerged on March 9 to their waiting families and friends. Researchers use HERA missions to gather data about how teams work together in close quarters for long periods. What researchers are learning is helping NASA prepare for Artemis missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.



Nasa