The US space agency “NASA” unveiled on Tuesday a house that appears at first glance ordinary, but in reality it will host, starting next June, four people who will quarantine themselves in it for more than a year to simulate life on Mars.
The house, called "Mars without Alpha," was built at the NASA Research Center in Houston, Texas.
Grace Douglas, director of the CHAPEA program supervising this experiment, explained that the stay of the four people in this house aims to prepare for a future trip to the Red Planet. By measuring their performance and cognitive abilities, the agency will get a clearer picture of the "resources" that should be made available to participants in an ambitious Mars mission.
She explained that defining the requirements is critical because there are "limited to the weight of what can be sent on these missions".
According to Agence France-Presse, the 160-square-meter house includes four bedrooms, an exercise room, a vertical vegetable farm, a medical operating room, a relaxation area and work points.
A covered passage leads to a section where the Martian environment has been recreated. On its red sand floor there is a weather station, a brick making machine, a small greenhouse, and a treadmill.
It is noteworthy that the agency did not announce the names of the volunteers who will participate in the test, but it is known that they will not be astronauts. They will face constant pressure, for example, in terms of rationing water use or equipment breakdowns.