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Image: HI-SEAS habitat

Science News

A taste of Mars in Hawaii

Click through scenes from a four-month simulation of a mission to Mars, conducted on Hawaii's Big Island.

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Dome sweet dome

A geodesic dome serves as the stand-in for a Mars habitat during the four-month HI-SEAS mission simulation on the slopes of Mauna Loa, on Hawaii's Big Island. The NASA-funded experiment is aimed at testing future diets for Mars-bound astronauts. Click onward for more scenes from HI-SEAS, which stands for Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation.

What's for dinner?

Members of the HI-SEAS simulation crew go through the inventory of food items inside their Hawaii habitat. Researchers want to assess the benefits of having crew members prepare their own meals as opposed to consuming the pre-packaged, just-add-water meals typically provided for long-term missions on the International Space Station.

Party food

HI-SEAS crew members enjoyed a special meal to celebrate the first month of their simulated Mars mission: Hawaiian-style Spam musubi and sushi, washed down with lemonade that was spiked with dehydrated fruit. For dessert: chocolate cake.

Looking out

HI-SEAS crew member Angelo Vermeulen watches his first sunset in a month through a newly installed window in the simulated space mission's habitat. When the six crew members venture outside the Hawaii habitat, they're required to wear mock spacesuits to simulate what real-life astronauts would experience on Mars.

Rapt in thought

Roboticist Simon Engler works inside the HI-SEAS habitat. Engler is experimenting with robotic pets that can be programmed to reflect different personalities during the four-month simulation.

Mars at night

Lights inside the HI-SEAS habitat create a glow that competes with Hawaiian moonlight. Researchers plan to follow up on the four-month Mars simulation with more ambitious analog experiments that could last as long as a year.

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