HOUSTON – NASA has chosen four crew members for their Mars simulation mission in Houston that began this month.
What is the mission?
The mission is called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA). It will last one year, and it will allow members to simulate that they are living on Mars while they are in the Johnson Space Center.
They will be an area that was 3D-printed and is 1,700 square feet. The mission began in June and will allow the agency to test how the crew responds to difficulties such as not having many resources or problems with equipment.
Who was selected for the mission?
Kelly Haston – Commander
She received a doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of California San Francisco and Stanford University. She is a member of the Mohawk Nation of the Six Nations of the Grand River in Canada. Haston has focused on scientific research and created models of different diseases.
Ross Brockwell – Flight Engineer
He has a Master of Science in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Brockwell is a structural engineer and has experience in public works. He has concentrated on infrastructure, organizational leadership and building design.
Nathan Jones – Medical Officer
He has a Medical Doctorate from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Jones is an emergency medicine doctor, emergency medicine director and an associate professor in this field at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
Anca Selariu- Science Officer
She has a doctorate in interdisciplinary biomedical science from Rutgers University. Selariu is a microbiologist serving in the United States Navy. She has helped create a viral vaccine and conducted research on infectious diseases and gene therapy.
NASA is also working to send astronauts to the moon for longer periods of time. They hope this CHAPEA program will help us take the next step and send people to Mars.