1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tech Stuff from how 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com. Hey everybody, welcome to tech Stuff. 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland, and today is another Saturday 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: Morning rerun episode where we take a classic episode of 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: tech Stuff that you might not have had a chance 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: to hear and present it to you so you can 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: enjoy it. Today, we're gonna talk about the Mars simulation 8 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: that took place in Hawaii. This was a simulated Martian habitat, 9 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: something that we would build on the surface of Mars 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: if we were to go there. The whole purpose of 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: this experiment was to see if the technology would work 12 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: and if people could, you know, hold themselves together for 13 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: the year of isolation that would take place if you 14 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: were to actually travel to the Red planet. Now, this 15 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: episode originally published on September two thousand sixteen, and The 16 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: Anman had just ended at that point, So we're going 17 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: to revisit this topic and talk all about what it 18 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: takes to do a simulation like this, and I hope 19 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: you guys enjoy today. We're doing an episode that is 20 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: from a listener request. Listener Jeremiah Right sent me a 21 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,639 Speaker 1: message on Twitter and asked that I cover a recent 22 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: experiment aimed at testing what it might be like to 23 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: send human explorers to Mars as a project conducted by 24 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation and the acronym 25 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: is High Seas HI DASH S E A S. So 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: expect lots of pirate voices yar as we talk about 27 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: going to the Martian landscape. I'll try and limit that 28 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: as much as possible. I know a lot of you 29 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: find that cringe worthy, rightly so, but hey, we should 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: be in September now, and let's talk like a pirate 31 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: days in September, so we have that to look forward to. 32 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: But yeah, I'm gonna concentrate on that. Talk about the project, 33 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: what went into it, some of the tech that was involved, 34 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: why it was happening in the first place, what they 35 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: were expecting to get out of it, and how it 36 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: all turned out. So let's uh set the ground first 37 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: by talking about what Mars is like and why it's 38 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: important for us to simulate as many different scenarios as 39 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 1: we possibly can before going to Mars. If you've seen 40 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: or read The Martian, you probably have some ideas of 41 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: what Mars must be like, and uh, for those who 42 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: have not, seen the movie or read the book, I 43 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: highly recommend it. It is not a scientifically accurate There 44 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: are some major liberties taken in both the novel and 45 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: the movie. I'd say more so in the movie than 46 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: the novel, but both of them have major liberties. But 47 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: it is very entertaining and the science in it in 48 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 1: general is pretty good. So if you have not seen 49 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,119 Speaker 1: the movie or read the book, check it out. It's 50 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: my recommendation. Anyway, you know that Mars does not have 51 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: a breathable atmosphere, has very low air pressure, has very 52 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: extreme temperatures. But here are some of the liberties that 53 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: both the film and the novel took, and these are 54 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: not spoilers really. One is that, uh, there are some 55 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: major wind storms dust storms that play an important role 56 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: in both versions of the story, and the density of 57 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: the Martian atmosphere is way too low to have that 58 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: devastating dust storm happen. The air is literally too thin 59 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 1: to hold larger particulates, So you could have dust blowing around, 60 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: but it wouldn't be blowing around in huge amounts and 61 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: not at such enormous force because there's just not enough 62 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: air there. That's it's not dense enough and uh, so 63 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: that is problematic, but hey, there had to be an 64 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: emergency in the story in order to get to the 65 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: the the plot point of a stranded astronaut left behind 66 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: on Mars. You had to have something happen so that 67 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: you could have the central uh conflict set up. And 68 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: so I give it a pass. It's not a huge 69 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: deal breaker, but it wouldn't actually happen that way on Mars. Also, 70 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: the gravity on Mars is just thirty eight percent that 71 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,359 Speaker 1: of Earth's gravity. Mars is less massive than Earth, and 72 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: so it's gravitational pull is less than that of Earth. 73 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: It's greater than the Moon's. The Moon is about one 74 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: six and Mars is a little more than one third. 75 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: But that means it would also be easier to pick 76 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: up heavier stuff. So if you're an astronaut and you 77 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: have to pick up something that weighs more than you 78 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: typically could carry, you would probably be able to lift 79 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,359 Speaker 1: it without too much trouble. It might still be very 80 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 1: bulky and cumbersome, but you could lift it, lift it. 81 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,039 Speaker 1: But it also means as you move around, you'd be 82 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: a lot more bouncy. You wouldn't just walk across. UH. 83 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:52,599 Speaker 1: The other big big issue is that the service of 84 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: Mars receives way more radiation than the surface of Earth. Now, 85 00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: this is due to a couple of things. One of 86 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: those is that it has that thin atmosphere, which does 87 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,359 Speaker 1: not allow much protection. Earth's atmosphere is one of the 88 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: reasons we are so uh so able to survive. Is 89 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: trying to find a better word for it, but really, 90 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 1: the atmosphere provides a great deal of protection for us, 91 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: not just the fact that we breathe the oxygen in 92 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 1: the atmosphere, but it slows down a lot of radiation 93 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: or blocks radiation from getting to us. Another is that 94 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: Mars does not have a strong magnetic field like Earth does. 95 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: Our magnetic field also protects us from other types of radiation, 96 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: and Mars lacks that. So if you were on the 97 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: surface of Mars, you would be subjected to way more 98 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 1: radiation than you would encounter here on Earth. And uh 99 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: we humans don't deal with that too well. All right, 100 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:49,720 Speaker 1: So a little bit more about Mars. Besides those issues 101 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: I had with the Martian, uh, Mars's atmosphere being so 102 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: thin means that liquid water doesn't tend to exist on 103 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: its surface for very long. There may be liquid water 104 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: underneath the surface of the soil, especially since it mixes 105 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: with some other stuff that lowers the freezing point of water. 106 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,479 Speaker 1: But most water is going to end up freezing. Um, 107 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: it's not going to stay in liquid form for very long. 108 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: The atmosphere is primarily carbon dioxide and bike primarily I'm 109 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: talking of the atmosphere is c O two, which is 110 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: not great for us. UH. Nitrogen makes up less than 111 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: two percent of the atmosphere on Mars. Here. On Earth, 112 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,160 Speaker 1: nitrogen is the most plentiful element in our atmosphere accounts 113 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: for seventy of our atmosphere, and oxygen, which on Earth 114 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,479 Speaker 1: is like of our atmosphere, is only found in trace 115 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: amounts in the Martian atmosphere, So you would not be 116 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,280 Speaker 1: able to breathe. Even if the atmosphere were more thick 117 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: than it is, you wouldn't be able to breathe there 118 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: because there's not enough oxygen to support life UH from 119 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: Earth on Mars, at least not life like us. There's 120 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: some life forms that would do all right in that 121 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: environment if you ignored other factors like the radiation. Now 122 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: not not everyone says that carbon carbon dioxide rich atmosphere 123 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: is necessarily a bad thing. Some scientists have actually suggested 124 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 1: we might use the CEO two in the atmosphere to 125 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,559 Speaker 1: help generate rocket fuel for a return trip to Earth, 126 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: which would be an enormous help because that means we 127 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: would only have to carry half as much fuel as 128 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: we would need for a round trip. Right, we would 129 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: just take the fuel we need to get to Mars 130 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: and then create the fuel we need to get back 131 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: to Earth while we're on Mars. And weight in space 132 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: launches is a deal breaker. If you get too much weight, 133 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: it becomes too difficult and too expensive. So you want 134 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: to limit the amount of weight as much as you 135 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: can when you're sending stuff out into space so that 136 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: you don't hit that critical point where it's just too 137 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: difficult and too expensive to do so, if we were 138 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: able to make our full on Mars for then turn 139 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: trip home, that would be enormous. Of course, you could 140 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: also plan a trip to Mars where there is no 141 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: return trip home. It's a one way ticket, and in fact, 142 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: there are some uh some projects that have been proposed 143 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: that essentially would be that it would be a one 144 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: way trip to Mars and that's where you would live 145 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: out the rest of your life, which possibly would not 146 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: be that much longer because Mars is a very hostile environment. 147 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: But assuming you want to get back, being able to 148 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: make rocket fuel on the surface of Mars is a 149 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: pretty good deal. Now, I said that temperatures on Mars 150 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: have a pretty wide range, and it is incredibly wide. 151 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: It goes from about seventy degrees fahrenheit, which is twenty 152 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: degrees celsius, down to negative two hundred twenty five degrees 153 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: fahrenheit or negative one fifty three degrees celsius. So a 154 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: Martian winter at night gets awfull chili. Obviously, we would 155 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: want to locate any habitats that we would put on 156 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: Mars in and a probably a belt closest to the 157 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 1: most stable temperature on the planet um, and if we 158 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: were to go there, we'd have to be there for 159 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: a really long time. I didn't really put this in 160 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: my notes, but I can talk about it. The orbits 161 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: of Earth and Mars are such that at certain points 162 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 1: they are fairly close together, or at least as close 163 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: as they get, and then as they continue their orbits 164 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: they start to spread apart. So if you think of 165 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,680 Speaker 1: Earth as a circle, you know that is the orbit 166 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: of Earth that's one circle and then a slightly larger 167 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 1: circle on the outside is Mars. And then you just 168 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: imagine how they're both traveling at different speeds, so they 169 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 1: start to spread apart. Eventually you get to a point 170 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 1: where Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the 171 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 1: Sun from each other, and then if you go long enough, 172 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: they line up again. Well, when you are launching stuff 173 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: to get from Earth to Mars, you want to travel 174 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 1: the least amount of distance possible. It's just like I 175 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: was talking about with the weight. The weight is going 176 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 1: to be an issue and the distance is an issue. 177 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:04,239 Speaker 1: So you to fire your rockets so that the pathway 178 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: that the rocket takes is the least amount of distance. 179 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: And that doesn't mean waiting until Earth and Mars are closest, 180 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: because it's an eight month journey to get from around 181 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: eight months to get from Earth to two Mars, so 182 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: you actually have to shoot ahead of time. It's it's 183 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,079 Speaker 1: that idea you're not shooting where Mars is, You're shooting 184 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: where Mars is going to be. And this involves a 185 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: lot of complicated math, knowing about the planetary orbits and 186 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 1: just the geometry involved and making sure that you are 187 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: conserving as much fuel as possible. Same thing on the 188 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 1: return trip. So if you were to land on Mars, 189 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: by the time you landed on Mars, Earth and Mars 190 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: would no longer be ideally situated. You would have to 191 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 1: wait for them to line up again, and that can 192 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 1: take a long time, like about two years, essentially more 193 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,679 Speaker 1: than a year and um. And that means that if 194 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: you're gonna land on Mars, you're gonna be there for 195 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,680 Speaker 1: a while, assuming that you are being very careful with 196 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: your fuel. If somehow fuel is no longer an issue, 197 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: like we've magically created cold fusion or something, uh, then 198 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: that would not be You wouldn't have to worry about 199 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: it as much. You would have more time in space itself, 200 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: because you would still have to travel a long distance 201 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:19,839 Speaker 1: from Mars back to Earth, but you wouldn't have to 202 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: worry about waiting for the opportune time, that window when 203 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,559 Speaker 1: the distance is going to be at the smallest amount. 204 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: All right, getting back to Mars. The regulus on Mars, 205 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 1: which is the soil on Mars, could be very problematic 206 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 1: to the Phoenix Lander discovered traces of perclorate in the 207 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: regulars UH. This is a salt derived from perchloric acid. 208 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: On the plus side, that stuff can be used as 209 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: a propellant, like an oxidizing agent within rocket fuel, So again, 210 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: you could use this stuff to help create rocket fuel 211 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: on the surface of Mars along with the carbon dioxide 212 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,080 Speaker 1: that you're taking from the atmosphere. So that's kind of cool. 213 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: But on the downside, Perkler, it can have a toxic 214 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: effect on humans, particularly when it comes to the thyroid gland, 215 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: so you'd have to be careful, Like if you if 216 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: you've been keeping count, the radiation will kill you, the 217 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 1: atmosphere will kill you, the uh temperatures could kill you, 218 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: and the soil will kill you on Mars. Mars is 219 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:25,559 Speaker 1: trying to kill you really hard, so it's another thing 220 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: you have to take into account if you're going to 221 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: send human beings there. However, all that being said, the 222 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: Martian soil also seems to contain nutrients that are necessary 223 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: to grow plants, and in fact, NASA has conducted several 224 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: experiments using simulated Martian soil because we've never we've never 225 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:46,440 Speaker 1: taken a sample from Mars and brought it back to Earth, right, 226 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: so we've simulated Martian soil using soil primarily from places 227 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: like Hawaii around volcanic planes, which is again that's gonna 228 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: go back to the simulated habitat we're gonna talk about 229 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,319 Speaker 1: in just a minute. So they've taken that soil and 230 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:03,199 Speaker 1: they tried to grow stuff in it, and they've been 231 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: successful with those experiments. Both NASA and other facilities have 232 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: grown crops, and so it looks like we would be 233 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,520 Speaker 1: able to do the same on Mars. Now, if we 234 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 1: were to do that, we would have to have the 235 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 1: plants inside a habitat because you would have to have 236 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: the air pressure there to allow liquid water to exist, 237 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: and we would need to leach the purcolorate out of 238 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: the soil in order to make sure that it's not 239 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 1: going to affect the plants. But that's something we could do. 240 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: It's not it's not impossible. It's not even really that difficult. 241 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: We could do it. It It would take some effort, but 242 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: we could do it, and you would probably have to 243 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: add some fertilizer to the soil to make sure it 244 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: has plentiful nutrients for plant life. Because Mars has not 245 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 1: had any life on it. If it ever has had 246 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: life on it, it's been a really, really long time, 247 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: So you would have to you know, you don't have 248 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:58,320 Speaker 1: that cycle, that nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, all that 249 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: stuff that allow for plant life to flourish here on Earth. 250 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: That hasn't been going on on Mars in a very 251 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 1: long time, if in fact, it ever has happened. So 252 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: we would have to add fertilizer to the soil, but 253 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: it would probably work. So that's super cool. All right, 254 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: let's get into the experiment. Simulating life on Mars here 255 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: on Earth is problematic, very tricky, right because for one thing, 256 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 1: all of the elements I just mentioned we cannot really 257 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: replicate here on Earth, nor would we want to. It 258 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: would actually put people in serious danger. We would want 259 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: to engineer as many solutions to problems as we possibly 260 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: could here on Earth without actually subjecting people to really 261 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: dangerous conditions until we got to a point where we 262 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: were really confident that the solutions we had created would 263 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: protect people from those conditions. You know, once you get 264 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: to that that that level, you will find people willing 265 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: to take on that risk. I mean, if we didn't 266 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: have people like that, then test flight engineers would never happen, right, 267 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: We would never to get test pilots who are some 268 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: of the craziest people on the planet. And I say 269 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: that with respect the you know, they take enormous risks 270 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: in experimental aircraft and push it to the limit in 271 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: order to advance our engineering and scientific knowledge, which is 272 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: amazing to me. The same thing is true for astronauts, 273 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: same thing is true for people who are testing the 274 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: equipment that are ventrally. Astronauts will rely upon to keep 275 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: them alive. But we don't have to worry about radiation 276 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: the way we would on mars Um. The atmosphere is 277 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,360 Speaker 1: perfectly fine here on Earth. It's not like we've got 278 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: a some place. There's not like a region on the 279 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: planet where the atmosphere is really dangerous, or we don't 280 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: have the potentially toxic soil. I mean, in some extreme environments, 281 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: you could have toxic soil and dangerous atmospheric conditions, especially 282 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:55,120 Speaker 1: around really polluted areas. But typically on Earth we're we're 283 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 1: pretty okay in those realms. Uh. And it would be 284 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: pretty unethical to subject in you one to staying in 285 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 1: a really dangerous zone just for the sake of experimentation. 286 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: But the goal of high seas isn't to create a 287 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: perfect representation of what it would be like to live 288 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 1: on Mars. It's not meant to subject people to the 289 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: extremes of the environment. It's really to discover the best 290 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: ways to keep a crew healthy and happy as they 291 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 1: live in isolation. So yeah, the crew had to behave 292 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: as if they were on Mars, you know, they had 293 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: to behave as if all of those conditions were in play. 294 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: But more importantly, they had to figure out how to 295 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: design a habitat and a series of missions to make 296 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: sure the crew could coexist and cooperate throughout the duration 297 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: of the mission, over months and months of time. So 298 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: how do you keep people from succumbing to loneliness or irritability? 299 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: How do you make sure they get the nutrition they 300 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:57,239 Speaker 1: need to stay healthy and active. That was the real experiment, 301 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: not so much the technology side, but the PSYE collegey side, 302 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: And it all began as a collaboration between a whole 303 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: bunch of different companies and research organizations and colleges. So 304 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 1: here's the full list, and it's pretty long. You got 305 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: the University of Hawaii, You've got Cornell, You've got Michigan 306 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:20,440 Speaker 1: State University, Arizona State University, University of South Florida, the 307 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: University of Maryland, the Institutes for Behavior Resources, Smart Information 308 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 1: Flow Technologies, Blue Planet Foundation, Pacific International Space Center for 309 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:35,919 Speaker 1: Exploration Systems, and NASA, and the result was that High 310 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 1: Seas organization, and they had plotted out exactly where they 311 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:43,119 Speaker 1: wanted to put this experimental habitat in a place that 312 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: would closely resemble the surface of Mars and essentially abandoned 313 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: people for months at a time, not really abandoned people, 314 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:58,119 Speaker 1: I'll get more into that, but really limit the interaction 315 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: people could have with anyone outside of the habitat itself. 316 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,159 Speaker 1: So the experiment site is on the volcano of mounta 317 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:09,680 Speaker 1: Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. And I'm being 318 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: obnoxious the way I pronounced these things, largely because the 319 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 1: Big Island of Hawaii is my favorite place to visit. 320 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: I have been there multiple occasions, and it is probably 321 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:25,679 Speaker 1: the slowest island in the chain as far as like 322 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: all the ones that people go to for tourists purposes. Oah, 323 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:33,679 Speaker 1: who is where Honolulu is? That's where the major airport is, 324 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 1: That's where the major city is. Uh. You've got Kawaii, 325 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: which is gorgeous, uh and tiny and and they shot 326 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 1: a lot of lost on Kawaii and Uh it's beautiful, 327 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: but a little touristy. It's a little small touristy section. 328 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: And then you've got Maui, which is like the resort island. 329 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,560 Speaker 1: I've been to Oaho, I've been to those islands, and 330 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,159 Speaker 1: Big Island. Big Island to me is my favorite. It 331 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,199 Speaker 1: is a little more laid back and it has a 332 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: lot of different ecosystems, from rocky beaches to rainforest to grassland. 333 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: Two snow on top of the volcanic peaks, including mounta Loa. 334 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: Mounta Loa gets snow at the top of it at 335 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: the higher elevations. It is not the tallest of the 336 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: volcanoes on the Big Island. The tallest would be Mount 337 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:27,680 Speaker 1: a chia Um And also it can be confused with Kilauea. 338 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: Kilauea is the the volcano you would really be looking 339 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 1: at if you went to the Volcanic National Park and 340 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 1: you were looking at the lava flows uh that are 341 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: either coming from event or going out or rift into 342 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 1: the ocean. That's Kilauea on on one side of the island. 343 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: But the biggest of all the volcanoes, the largest in 344 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: in just sheer size, is mounta Loa and it is 345 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 1: an active volcano, so this experiment is located on an 346 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:01,360 Speaker 1: active volcano. Now that being said, eruption are rarely violent. 347 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,440 Speaker 1: They do happen, but the eruptions are more like lava 348 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: flowing out of the volcano, or almost like it's leaking 349 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,879 Speaker 1: out of the volcano, not being propelled up in a 350 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: big flume like you would think in a traditional volcanic eruption. 351 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: It tends to flow from the summit down towards the 352 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 1: edges of the island and what is often called the 353 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:26,359 Speaker 1: curtain of fire. There are these rifts in the earth 354 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:30,360 Speaker 1: and they act almost like channels where the lava will 355 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: flow through. Uh. While the eruption itself can be relatively nonviolent, 356 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 1: they're still pretty destructive, right, Like you can have a 357 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: slow moving lava flow that will cause real damage to property. 358 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: It's rare that anyone gets hurt in these things because 359 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: the lava moves at a walking pace. It's not going 360 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: super fast. I think it hasn't been since the nineteen 361 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: thirties since someone was injured by an eruption. Everyone tends 362 00:20:58,280 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: to be able to get all the way in time 363 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 1: and if avacuated, but it does cause damage because you know, 364 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 1: homes don't move, and a lava flow encounters a house, 365 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: then you know you've just got a fire on your hands. 366 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: But it's generally a pretty safe place you get you 367 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: aren't expected to have an a like sudden eruption that's 368 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,359 Speaker 1: going to put you into danger. The site of the 369 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:24,960 Speaker 1: simulated Martian habitat is located at about eight thousand feet 370 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: elevation on Mauna Loa. The summit of the volcano, if 371 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:31,720 Speaker 1: you were to go at the very top, is thirteen thousand, 372 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 1: six d seventy nine feet, so this is a little 373 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:39,680 Speaker 1: more than halfway up the full height of the volcano, 374 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:45,160 Speaker 1: and it's on a slope um that keeps it fairly level. 375 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 1: For comparison sake, the primary observing side of the Mantala 376 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 1: Observatory is at eleven thousand one hunt one feet of elevation, 377 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: so the Manta Loa Observatory is higher up. But don't 378 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 1: confuse that with the Mantichia observatories. Those are astronomical ref 379 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,480 Speaker 1: search facilities on the taller peak of Monachia to the 380 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: north of mountal Iowa's summit. Mantaloa's observatory is an atmospheric Observatory, 381 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,679 Speaker 1: primarily keeping an eye on CEO two levels in our atmosphere. 382 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying this classic episode of 383 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: tech stuff. We're gonna take a quick break to thank 384 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: our sponsor. The habitat itself is in an abandoned quarry 385 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: on the northern slope of Mountaloa. The team picked that 386 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: site because it has very little vegetation. It looks like 387 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:36,160 Speaker 1: the surface of Mars. It's this rocky, barren kind of 388 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 1: of area. Uh, there are no rare or an endangered 389 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: species that make it a home, so there was no 390 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: chance of having a negative impact on an endangered species, 391 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: and so you would also have a fairly accurate representation 392 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,359 Speaker 1: of Mars, and you would not be bringing harm to 393 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,960 Speaker 1: any threatened species. Also, there are no cultural or archaeological 394 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: sites in that area, so the team wouldn't be causing 395 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,120 Speaker 1: any harm to something of cultural or historical value, which 396 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: I think is incredibly intelligent. Um. The Hawaiian people have 397 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 1: a very rich history. Their culture is phenomenal, and of course, uh, 398 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 1: the the European explorers who came in had a huge 399 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 1: impact on that culture. So trying to not make it 400 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 1: trying not to endanger that rich history. More is really 401 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: important from a sociological standpoint. If you ever get a 402 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,879 Speaker 1: chance to look into their culture, really you should do 403 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:41,360 Speaker 1: it because it is It is a beautiful and incredibly 404 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:46,399 Speaker 1: fascinating culture. So the habitat itself was designed by V. 405 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: Paul Point of the Envisioned Design and it was built 406 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: by the Blue Planet Foundation of Honolulu, and it's super 407 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,120 Speaker 1: duper cool, you guys. So it's a geodesic dome. That's 408 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,040 Speaker 1: the main habitat. Geodesic dome. That's thirty six ft in 409 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 1: diameter and it has two stories. The volume inside the 410 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: dome is thirteen thousand, five hundred seventy cubic feet. Now, 411 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:13,360 Speaker 1: not all of that is accessible. Uh, there's a very 412 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:16,880 Speaker 1: tall ceiling, like like the second floor is only half 413 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,879 Speaker 1: a half floor, so half of it looks out into 414 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: the lower level. So you have this nice tall ceiling 415 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:29,919 Speaker 1: over half of the lower level. And since it's a dome, 416 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: the walls curve inward. So because they curve in word, 417 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,239 Speaker 1: you don't have full use of the space that's right 418 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 1: along the edge of the walls, right, You couldn't You 419 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:43,439 Speaker 1: couldn't stand up like a table or chair right up 420 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: against the wall because the way the walls curve inside. 421 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: On the ground floor, there are eight hundred seventy eight 422 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,399 Speaker 1: square feet that are that's considered to be usable space. 423 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: The ground floor has a kitchen, dining room, bathroom with shower, 424 00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: a lab and exercise room, and some common working spaces. 425 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: The upper floor is aloft, with about four square feet available. UH. 426 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: It has six state rooms and one half bath. That 427 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: ceiling is pretty high, and the reason why they have 428 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: that high ceiling in the first places, studies have shown 429 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,199 Speaker 1: that the longer time, the amount of time you spend 430 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: in a place, the more it seems to shrink to you. 431 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 1: So you want the space to already be pretty lofty, 432 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:29,439 Speaker 1: pretty tall, and and open because you're gonna have that 433 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:31,760 Speaker 1: shrinking effect, and you don't want people to start feel 434 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 1: like they're they're penned up or they're trapped. It's very 435 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:39,879 Speaker 1: important from a psychological point of view. UH. There are 436 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,679 Speaker 1: actually some pictures on the High Seas website where you 437 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,560 Speaker 1: can take a look at the rooms and the layout 438 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: and some of the equipment inside this habitat, and I 439 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 1: recommend you do it because they're pretty cool. They only 440 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,119 Speaker 1: have a few that are actually of the interior of 441 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: the habitat. Most of their pictures are of the exterior 442 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 1: or of UH. The various participants dressed up in simulated 443 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 1: space suits as they go outside, because in order to 444 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 1: simulate and an experience on Mars, you are not allowed 445 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:14,920 Speaker 1: to leave the habitat without first going through a simulated 446 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:20,119 Speaker 1: airlock experience, including getting all geared up inside a simulated 447 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:23,880 Speaker 1: space suit. AH, very important if you want to make 448 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: as as accurate as possible as the experience on Mars 449 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,120 Speaker 1: would be. UH. Disregarding the other stuff we already talked about, 450 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 1: like the fact that you're not going to be able 451 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:36,919 Speaker 1: to simulate of Earth's gravity here on Earth. The picture 452 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:39,119 Speaker 1: of the kitchen makes it look really nifty and modern. 453 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 1: It has a stove and oven, it's got a microwave, 454 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:46,240 Speaker 1: a breadmaker, and a crock pot. UM. They've thought that 455 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:50,480 Speaker 1: by giving the participants different abilities to prepare food, it 456 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,879 Speaker 1: would also help morale. Towards the end of the first mission, 457 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 1: Commander Angelo Vermulin talked about the foods that were a 458 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: big hit versus the ones that did not go over 459 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,919 Speaker 1: so well to kind of, you know, help with the 460 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 1: future experiments. There have been four missions so far in 461 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,719 Speaker 1: the high seas habitat the first one lasted four months, 462 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,159 Speaker 1: and that's the one I'm talking about right here that 463 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 1: Commander Vermullin was working on. He said that the foods 464 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: available to the crew were limited to ones that could 465 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 1: be easy to carry in a spacecraft, whether it would 466 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:27,680 Speaker 1: be carried in the spacecraft that the astronauts going to 467 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 1: Mars would use, or a spacecraft sent ahead of time, 468 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:36,360 Speaker 1: or resupply mission sent later on to send more cargo 469 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 1: and supplies to people already on Mars Um. In any case, 470 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:43,880 Speaker 1: you have to make sure that you you are packing 471 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: stuff that is uh space efficient, right, meaning that you 472 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,120 Speaker 1: can pack a lot of it into a small area 473 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:55,639 Speaker 1: and that it's not too heavy so uh. He said 474 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,920 Speaker 1: that the favorites in the pre prepared category, so these 475 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:00,919 Speaker 1: are ones that were ready to go, you just had 476 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: to heat them up in some way, included creamy wild rice, soup, 477 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 1: mashed potatoes, raspberry crumble, and apple sauce, among others. The 478 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: least favorite of the pre prepared foods was one called 479 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 1: kung foo chicken, which the entire group described as being 480 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: mostly tasteless and slimy in texture. The team also prepared 481 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: meals for themselves and for each other using ingredients that 482 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 1: were sent along, and those met with a lot of success. 483 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: Those meals included everything from a seafood cholder to Russian 484 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: borshed to Moroccan tangen uh and others. They also like 485 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: to use tortillas a lot to make various raps. Apparently 486 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: this is also a big hit aboard the International Space Station. 487 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 1: Tortillas are easy to pack and you can put a 488 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: lot of different stuff in them, So they talked about 489 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: experimenting with all sorts of things from breakfast foods to 490 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,640 Speaker 1: fish and everything else, and apparently those were a huge hit. 491 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: But in general, pre prepared meals were actually favored, not 492 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: because they tasted better, but because they didn't require a 493 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,920 Speaker 1: lot of work and thought to prepare them. If you're 494 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: working all day trying to complete mission objectives, and every 495 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: single day they had mission objectives they were supposed to meet, 496 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: then you are putting a lot of thought and energy 497 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: into cooking, and uh, it's exhausting, it's overwhelming. So instead, 498 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 1: if you were to go the pre prepared route, where 499 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: you don't really have to think very much and cooking 500 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: is easy and clean up as a breeze. That is 501 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 1: an easy choice. You could see that also if you 502 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: were to go with the preparation mode, like the full 503 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:38,720 Speaker 1: on cook a meal mode, it means using more water 504 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: then you would with pre prepared stuff, and water conservation 505 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,360 Speaker 1: is incredibly important. Water would be a very precious resource 506 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 1: for astronauts on Mars. You would need to have a 507 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 1: very careful way of managing your water supply. Now, assuming 508 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,959 Speaker 1: we do send people to Mars, we will likely create 509 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: means to get water from Mars itself. There is for 510 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 1: us and water on Mars, and there are probably different 511 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 1: ways that we could harvest water from Mars. But even so, 512 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,720 Speaker 1: you would want to be very judicious with your use 513 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 1: of it, and you would want to conserve as much 514 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 1: as you could and reuse as much as you could. 515 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 1: And more on that in just a minute. The commander 516 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 1: also said he figured future missions should have more comfort 517 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 1: foods for particularly stressful days. Um He said that there 518 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: should be a lot more spices, herbs, and hot sauces 519 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:28,840 Speaker 1: to add a kick to foods and give them more flavor, 520 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: and there needed to be more foods with fiber in them. Apparently, 521 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: the fiber content of a lot of the foods they 522 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: had was fairly low, which you know, you don't want 523 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:42,800 Speaker 1: to have a regular problem with a lack of fiber. 524 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 1: But so some of the ingredients included in that first mission, 525 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: and this is just a small list of some of 526 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:50,720 Speaker 1: the ones that jumped out at me that I thought 527 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 1: were kind of interesting. Anchovies, awesome pre cooked bacon, freeze 528 00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 1: dried meats, which the crew said, We're really only good 529 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: if you use the as an ingredient within a bigger dish. 530 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:04,960 Speaker 1: You wouldn't want to eat one of the freeze dried 531 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:07,840 Speaker 1: meats on their own because they had very little aroma 532 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: and less taste, so you essentially just got a meat 533 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: consistency with no flavor to it. They had a lot 534 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: of different freeze dried vegetables and fruits. They had nuts 535 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,600 Speaker 1: and seeds. They had pastas and other starches. They had 536 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 1: baking ingredients like flour and yeast. Uh. They had powdered 537 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 1: dairy products. They had tea, coffee, and other drinks, including tang. 538 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 1: They had seasonings and condiments. Some of my favorite ingredients 539 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:38,000 Speaker 1: listed included canned eel popping corn masa, which I really 540 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: do like to cook with, powdered eggs POI. That's very 541 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: Hawaiian velveta cheese. And of course tang you gotta have 542 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: tang on there on your space trip. And uh. The 543 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 1: High Seas experiment assumed the residents on Mars would receive 544 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 1: regular supplies from Earth, So that was they would actually 545 00:31:55,880 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: hire a company to bring shipments of food and water 546 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:06,560 Speaker 1: at certain intervals during the experiments to represent a resupply 547 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 1: mission sent from Earth to keep the astronauts supplied. UM, 548 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,920 Speaker 1: because you wouldn't want to pack a full year's worth 549 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: of food and water onto the habitat all at once. 550 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 1: It would be prohibitively large. You would have to have 551 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: a much larger space and that would not be very efficient. Remember, 552 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 1: the larger the habitat, the more you have to pack 553 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,600 Speaker 1: in in order to maintain the proper air pressure. Uh, 554 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: you need more oxygen and it just it makes everything 555 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: more complicated. So you want to find that perfect balance 556 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 1: where it's efficient but not so small that it's going 557 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 1: to make habitats the habitants go space crazy. You don't 558 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:52,680 Speaker 1: want space madness. That's bad. As for that exercise area, 559 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:55,440 Speaker 1: the astronauts used it a lot, in particular during the 560 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:59,160 Speaker 1: first mission. UH, there were some projects that NASA was 561 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: conducting some some experiments they were using. They were studying 562 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 1: how well different types of materials hold up to prolonged 563 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:09,560 Speaker 1: activity and where and they were looking at two things. 564 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 1: We're looking at how much does the material stand up 565 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: to wear and tear, like, does it does it maintain 566 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,800 Speaker 1: its integrity? And also how long can someone go wearing 567 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: the same clothing before they stank up the joint? And 568 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,320 Speaker 1: that's serious. They really did do that because again, you 569 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: want to conserve your water. You're not going to be 570 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: taking a shower that frequently, and so they wanted to 571 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:35,120 Speaker 1: find micro bacterial type fibers that are anti microbial I 572 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 1: should say, fibers that would limit the effect of bacteria 573 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,920 Speaker 1: on a person's skin from creating a stink and stinking 574 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 1: up the joint. When you have six people working in 575 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 1: close proximity, you don't want to have a lot of 576 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 1: bo filling up that habitat. So that was one of 577 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:56,479 Speaker 1: the experiments on that first mission. Just imagine going out 578 00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:59,960 Speaker 1: there and exercising your heart out and hoping that you're 579 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 1: anti microbial under things can keep the job going. According 580 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:08,920 Speaker 1: to one former participant, most folks would exercise along with 581 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:14,360 Speaker 1: exercise videos like Insanity or P niney X that's pretty hardcore. Obviously, 582 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 1: on the service of Mars, things would be different because 583 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: again you would have that lower gravity, so you'd have 584 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: to figure out a lot of different resistance training type 585 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:28,359 Speaker 1: experience type of approaches to allow for appropriate amounts of exercise. Uh, 586 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,960 Speaker 1: we're not just bouncing all over the habitat now. The 587 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,920 Speaker 1: staterooms were basically big enough for a bed, a stool 588 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,319 Speaker 1: and a small computer desk, and of course there's no 589 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: view outside. The dome was made out of flexible material. 590 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:46,319 Speaker 1: The rooms have like a plywood kind of roof to them, 591 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:50,319 Speaker 1: so there's a fabric shell on the outside. On the 592 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,759 Speaker 1: inside you have this like plywood roof. It's solid. You 593 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 1: don't have a view, um and I think the only 594 00:34:56,280 --> 00:35:00,720 Speaker 1: porthole they have is near the entrance of the actual habitat, 595 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 1: where you would go through the whole airlock system. Otherwise 596 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:07,120 Speaker 1: you don't Oh, you're just looking at the interior of 597 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:09,839 Speaker 1: the habitat. Now, the pictures of the rooms are kind 598 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: of cool. I think Harry Potter would have felt right 599 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 1: at home moving from his cupboard under the Dursley stairs 600 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: to the high Seas facility, it would have seemed like 601 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:22,279 Speaker 1: pretty much a one to one comparison. Uh. You would 602 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:24,800 Speaker 1: store all of your belongings, like your clothing and stuff 603 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:27,759 Speaker 1: under the bed. There's no closet or anything. In fact, 604 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:31,320 Speaker 1: the bedroom looks like a closet. The beds themselves are 605 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:35,359 Speaker 1: positioned so that the one of the long edges is 606 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 1: against the outer side of the wall, right, so that way, 607 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: when you open the door, you're looking at the side 608 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 1: of the bed essentially, and you could take maybe two 609 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:47,839 Speaker 1: steps and then sit down on your bed, and then 610 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:49,759 Speaker 1: you have your little bit desk and your stool there too. 611 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 1: Uh so that that computer desk I mentioned the team 612 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,319 Speaker 1: did have access to computers and the Internet, but in 613 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,200 Speaker 1: order to simulate the isolation someone would feel on ours, 614 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:03,759 Speaker 1: all communications between the participants and the outside world were 615 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,480 Speaker 1: delayed by around twenty minutes. That simulates the amount of 616 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:09,359 Speaker 1: time it would take data to make its way from 617 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:12,840 Speaker 1: Mars to Earth at the speed of light. Now, like 618 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 1: I said before, the distance between Mars and Earth varies 619 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,399 Speaker 1: throughout their respective orbits around the Sun, but a rough 620 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:22,640 Speaker 1: average is a twenty minute twenty light minute gap, meaning 621 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:25,680 Speaker 1: it takes light twenty minutes to pass between Mars and Earth, 622 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:28,120 Speaker 1: so that means there was no way to chat in 623 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:31,240 Speaker 1: real time. It was all asynchronous communication, and all the 624 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:34,760 Speaker 1: websites they could access were cashed images, so they couldn't 625 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: have access to a dynamic website and they're not going 626 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,960 Speaker 1: to look at a website that is changing in real time. 627 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:43,600 Speaker 1: They would look at a cashed version of it. This 628 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:46,200 Speaker 1: was all to simulate the limitations they would face if 629 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:50,080 Speaker 1: they were actually on Mars. Power for the habitat came 630 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 1: from solar panels and batteries solar power. Obviously, if you 631 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 1: don't use the electricity generator from the solar panel right away, 632 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,160 Speaker 1: you waste it, so you have to either use it 633 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:04,840 Speaker 1: or store it. So you would use the solar power 634 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,239 Speaker 1: to power the stuff inside the habitat and store any 635 00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:10,880 Speaker 1: excess electricity in batteries. They also had a hydrogen fuel 636 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:13,359 Speaker 1: cell to provide backup power if the batteries ever fell 637 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,680 Speaker 1: below five capacity, so that way you wouldn't have an 638 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 1: interruption in power obviously that would be devastating on Mars itself. 639 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:25,640 Speaker 1: Inside the habitat, they also had a three D printer 640 00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:29,120 Speaker 1: which allowed the crew to print out replacement parts. For equipment. 641 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: If something had broken, let's say like a leg on 642 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:36,240 Speaker 1: a on a small table is wobbly, you could actually 643 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:38,239 Speaker 1: print out a little three D stop gap so that 644 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:40,400 Speaker 1: you stop it from wobbling. Or it might be something 645 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:43,200 Speaker 1: way more serious, or it could even be something simple 646 00:37:43,239 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 1: like a comb, so you didn't have to pack a comb. 647 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:47,839 Speaker 1: You just print one when you get there. I thought 648 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:49,960 Speaker 1: that was kind of cool. The two bathrooms in the 649 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:53,719 Speaker 1: habitat had, or have, because the habitat still exists, have 650 00:37:54,040 --> 00:38:00,320 Speaker 1: composting toilets. Poop is important, y'all. If you were on ours, 651 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:05,200 Speaker 1: you might want to use poop as fertilizer for the 652 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,160 Speaker 1: soil you are using to grow plants, and you would 653 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:10,359 Speaker 1: actually have to process the poop. You know, you'd have 654 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:12,080 Speaker 1: to process a little bit. It's not like you would 655 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:17,360 Speaker 1: just dump the poo into a a field of you know, 656 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:19,840 Speaker 1: whatever it was you're growing radishes or potatoes in the 657 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:23,520 Speaker 1: case of the Martian, but um, you would, you know, 658 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:26,000 Speaker 1: want to save that. So they were trying to keep 659 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,360 Speaker 1: that similar. Also, they had to learn how to repair 660 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:32,880 Speaker 1: composting toilets because sometimes stuff breaks. As for water, the 661 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:35,319 Speaker 1: habitat had a water tank or has a water tank. 662 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,800 Speaker 1: I keep using the past tense, but I should stress 663 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 1: they still plan to do two more missions with the 664 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:42,760 Speaker 1: High Seas habitats, so it's not like it's gone away. 665 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,440 Speaker 1: Has a water tank that can store about one thousand gallons. 666 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:49,440 Speaker 1: The project hired people to bring water and refill the 667 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,839 Speaker 1: tank at regular intervals, but it was important that it 668 00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 1: wasn't so frequent. To make it easy. The team inside 669 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 1: the habitat had to plan out their water usage so 670 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:01,920 Speaker 1: that they and not run out of water. It was 671 00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:06,279 Speaker 1: a really tough challenge. Uh. Now on Earth we would 672 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:08,759 Speaker 1: be able to send water supplies up occasionally, but not 673 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:12,080 Speaker 1: that frequently because again, once the Mars and Earth orbits 674 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:15,400 Speaker 1: are out of alignment, it takes way more energy for 675 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:17,760 Speaker 1: us to get to Mars, and that means more fuel, 676 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:21,360 Speaker 1: and that means more expense and a bigger technological challenge. 677 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:25,959 Speaker 1: So you really don't want to have to send more 678 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:30,200 Speaker 1: water if you really can avoid it. Uh. They didn't 679 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:33,279 Speaker 1: go to the extremes of water conservation that you would 680 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:36,440 Speaker 1: find a board like the International Space Station, where scientists 681 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:39,400 Speaker 1: have attempted to recapture as much water as possible, including 682 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,919 Speaker 1: water people breathe out just the water you would lose 683 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:46,440 Speaker 1: the respiration UH that kind of water on the I 684 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:48,440 Speaker 1: s S. They tried to reclaim as much as that 685 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:52,320 Speaker 1: as possible, filter it, and then reuse it in various ways, 686 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,120 Speaker 1: but they did look at different ways to pay attention 687 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:58,960 Speaker 1: to conservation and recycling. During the year long mission that 688 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:02,520 Speaker 1: just concluded him, the team actually had to respond to 689 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:05,520 Speaker 1: a water emergency. They had planned out how much water 690 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:08,760 Speaker 1: consumption they would go through UH through the month of July, 691 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:11,920 Speaker 1: and they worked it out to like the millimeter of 692 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:14,880 Speaker 1: how far down the water tank they would go. But 693 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,160 Speaker 1: then the water supplier, the company that actually would come 694 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:21,560 Speaker 1: up and refill the water tank, suffered a mechanical failure 695 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:23,839 Speaker 1: and it had nothing to do with the habitat. It 696 00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:25,839 Speaker 1: wasn't their fault at all, but it meant that the 697 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:29,320 Speaker 1: water that would come in and resupply them wasn't coming. 698 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:33,279 Speaker 1: And this is a simulation. They can't just get a 699 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:36,680 Speaker 1: different company to come out and deliver water. Something like 700 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:40,640 Speaker 1: this might happen on a real Martian mission. So the 701 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:43,480 Speaker 1: crew had to figure out what they wanted to do. Now. 702 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:47,360 Speaker 1: They had an emergency backup water tank, but it hadn't 703 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:51,560 Speaker 1: been touched in years. This emergency water tank had existed 704 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:53,879 Speaker 1: since the very first mission, but no one had had 705 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,160 Speaker 1: to use it, so they weren't sure about the quality 706 00:40:57,200 --> 00:40:59,120 Speaker 1: of the water. They had no idea if it would 707 00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:01,280 Speaker 1: be drinkable, if be safe to drink, and they lacked 708 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:03,960 Speaker 1: the equipment to test it because that would take up 709 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:08,160 Speaker 1: even more space, and if you don't absolutely need something, 710 00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:10,879 Speaker 1: you're not gonna take it in a habitat that has 711 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:15,279 Speaker 1: very limited space to it. So they had to figure 712 00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:18,440 Speaker 1: out a way to make the water usable and be 713 00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:21,560 Speaker 1: and and be sure that it was safe without having 714 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:24,360 Speaker 1: the ability to test it. So what they did because 715 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,759 Speaker 1: then an old fashioned method of distilling the water. They 716 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:32,800 Speaker 1: put uh They put containers or pots of water inside 717 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:39,040 Speaker 1: a big plastic tote essentially, and they had an electric 718 00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 1: heater element. An electric heater element would heat up the 719 00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:44,759 Speaker 1: pot of water so that the water would boil. On 720 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:47,680 Speaker 1: top of the tote. They put a plastic sheet and 721 00:41:47,719 --> 00:41:50,520 Speaker 1: they clamped it down along the sides. They had just 722 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:54,760 Speaker 1: regular old clamps that they used. Boy Bush Joe McCormick 723 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,960 Speaker 1: were here because he loves clamps. But they put clamps 724 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,280 Speaker 1: all along the edges and kept it nice and tight. 725 00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:05,640 Speaker 1: They put a spoon over the center of the plastic 726 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:08,960 Speaker 1: sheet to create an indentation, a dip in the sheet, 727 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:10,760 Speaker 1: kind of like if you were to imagine a bowling 728 00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:15,040 Speaker 1: ball on a trampoline, it makes the material dip down. 729 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:18,600 Speaker 1: I honestly didn't remember talking about a bowling ball on 730 00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:21,600 Speaker 1: a trampoline, but I'm so glad I did. We're gonna 731 00:42:21,719 --> 00:42:23,799 Speaker 1: get back into this episode in just a minute, but 732 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:26,920 Speaker 1: first let's take another quick break to thank our sponsor. 733 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:37,080 Speaker 1: So steam from the boiling water would rise up, it 734 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:40,400 Speaker 1: would condense against the plastic. The drops of water would 735 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:44,080 Speaker 1: slowly slide down to the lowest point where the spoon was, 736 00:42:45,040 --> 00:42:52,280 Speaker 1: and eventually dripped down into the container itself. The water 737 00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:54,799 Speaker 1: that would drip down was safe to drink. It had 738 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:57,760 Speaker 1: been distilled, and so they were able to make drinking 739 00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:00,719 Speaker 1: water this way. They just had to constantly checking on 740 00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:03,239 Speaker 1: the water make sure that there was at the right level, uh, 741 00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:05,719 Speaker 1: and replace the water in the pots so that they 742 00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:10,040 Speaker 1: added that to their daily activities. But otherwise it didn't 743 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,960 Speaker 1: impact the mission. So they were able to continue their 744 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,720 Speaker 1: mission and respond to this water emergency in a way 745 00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:19,520 Speaker 1: that was realistic. You know, it didn't require them to 746 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:22,319 Speaker 1: step outside of the simulation in order to keep it going, 747 00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:26,000 Speaker 1: so it was really cool. Now, next to the habitat 748 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,600 Speaker 1: itself is a steel shipping container that serves as a 749 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:32,680 Speaker 1: workshop for the habitat. It's actually attached to the habitat, 750 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:37,080 Speaker 1: so the participants can pass back and forth between the 751 00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:41,600 Speaker 1: shipping container and the habitat itself in order to do 752 00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:44,560 Speaker 1: more work. But they wouldn't necessarily have to down a 753 00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:47,799 Speaker 1: full space suit in order to do that. And like 754 00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:50,879 Speaker 1: I mentioned, they have completed four simulated mission so far. 755 00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:53,560 Speaker 1: The first took place in two thousand thirteen it lasted 756 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:55,960 Speaker 1: four months long. The second mission took place in two 757 00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:58,360 Speaker 1: thousand fourteen the early part of two thousand fourteen and 758 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:01,359 Speaker 1: lasted another four months. The third began in the fall 759 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:04,040 Speaker 1: of two thousand and fourteen and lasted six months, and 760 00:44:04,080 --> 00:44:07,240 Speaker 1: the fourth mission began on August twenty nine, two thou fifteen, 761 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:10,799 Speaker 1: and ended a year later, So it was just a 762 00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:15,560 Speaker 1: few days before I recorded this. Obviously, for the experiment 763 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:17,960 Speaker 1: to be meaningful, everyone has to behave as if they 764 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,600 Speaker 1: are in fact on Mars. Again, they don't have to 765 00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:26,239 Speaker 1: pretend like they're in low gravity situations. That would be ridiculous. 766 00:44:26,280 --> 00:44:28,480 Speaker 1: It would be it would require you to exert way 767 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:31,720 Speaker 1: too much energy, but going outside the habitat mint, putting 768 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,439 Speaker 1: on a space suit, going through that simulated airlock UH 769 00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:37,240 Speaker 1: scenario before you could go out. And because the project 770 00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 1: was simulating an actual visit to Mars, they would receive 771 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:42,680 Speaker 1: mission objectives that would require the participants to do this 772 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:46,359 Speaker 1: on a fairly frequent basis. Every single mission they've done 773 00:44:46,560 --> 00:44:51,120 Speaker 1: has had several Mars walks included where they were sent 774 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:57,000 Speaker 1: off to specific locations to take information down, make observations, 775 00:44:57,440 --> 00:45:01,840 Speaker 1: explore things like lava tubes and vent um, which was 776 00:45:01,880 --> 00:45:04,440 Speaker 1: really cool. I mean it allowed them to actually do 777 00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:07,239 Speaker 1: real work. They were actually doing real research. It's just 778 00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:11,040 Speaker 1: the research in this case was Earth research. They were 779 00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:13,480 Speaker 1: just simulating the experience of it as if they were 780 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:18,239 Speaker 1: on Mars. So the information they gathered is useful to us. 781 00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:21,440 Speaker 1: It's just useful to us as people on Earth, which 782 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:23,040 Speaker 1: is kind of cool. There was like a two for 783 00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:25,759 Speaker 1: one in a way. Now, it also meant that the 784 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:28,440 Speaker 1: team had to show discipline when entering or leaving that 785 00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:34,600 Speaker 1: that habitat um, and sometimes they would actually plan out 786 00:45:34,719 --> 00:45:37,279 Speaker 1: a Mars walk when they didn't have one on the 787 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:41,920 Speaker 1: schedule simply to occupy their minds, because boredom is a 788 00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:45,200 Speaker 1: real problem when you're in that that type of isolation, 789 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:47,520 Speaker 1: especially if you're in there for a whole year. And 790 00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:49,840 Speaker 1: keep in mind that a habitat on Mars would have 791 00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:53,480 Speaker 1: a much higher internal air pressure than the planet would, 792 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:58,200 Speaker 1: so the air pressure inside the habitat would be very 793 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:02,400 Speaker 1: very high compared to the Martian atmosphere. And that means 794 00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:05,760 Speaker 1: if you opened up the habitat without using an airlock 795 00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:09,480 Speaker 1: the air and said the habitat would rush out. It 796 00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:13,480 Speaker 1: would blow out of the habitat and go out into 797 00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:17,560 Speaker 1: the atmosphere and dissipate, and that would be no bueno. 798 00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:22,279 Speaker 1: That's end of end of habitat. You would you would 799 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:26,080 Speaker 1: lose air pressure and you would have a catastrophic emergency, 800 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:29,759 Speaker 1: which also happens in the Martian No spoiler there either. 801 00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:33,040 Speaker 1: It's a big part of the story and you would 802 00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:35,680 Speaker 1: imagine that would have to happen in order to up 803 00:46:35,719 --> 00:46:40,560 Speaker 1: the stakes on the drama. The when the stakes start 804 00:46:40,640 --> 00:46:43,439 Speaker 1: with being abandoned on Mars, there are only so many 805 00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:46,200 Speaker 1: things you can do to increase the stakes at that point, 806 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:47,400 Speaker 1: and you have to do that in order to have 807 00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:50,799 Speaker 1: a compelling story. All right, let's talk about the participants 808 00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:53,359 Speaker 1: of this most recent experiment, the people who spent an 809 00:46:53,600 --> 00:46:58,640 Speaker 1: entire year in isolation with one another, the six strangers. 810 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:02,399 Speaker 1: As I mentioned in the beginning of this podcast. First 811 00:47:02,440 --> 00:47:06,160 Speaker 1: of all, the the High Seas Project always seeks out 812 00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:11,440 Speaker 1: participants who are astronaut like, meaning they have the qualifications 813 00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:14,879 Speaker 1: that NASA would look for when choosing astronauts for their 814 00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:18,319 Speaker 1: various space faring missions. So you already have to be 815 00:47:18,360 --> 00:47:22,120 Speaker 1: a pretty remarkable person to be considered to take part 816 00:47:22,239 --> 00:47:25,560 Speaker 1: in this experiment. Uh. They have to be physically fit, 817 00:47:25,760 --> 00:47:27,759 Speaker 1: they have to be mentally fit, and they have to 818 00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:31,440 Speaker 1: have at least one degree in science or engineering, and 819 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:36,000 Speaker 1: most of them have multiple degrees. We're talking mega super 820 00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:40,200 Speaker 1: smart people. As I was looking through the various accomplishments 821 00:47:40,239 --> 00:47:43,880 Speaker 1: and degrees that a lot of these participants have, I 822 00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:47,520 Speaker 1: started to feel very badly about myself. I consider myself 823 00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:50,359 Speaker 1: to be a fairly smart person, but these folks leave 824 00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:54,680 Speaker 1: me in the dust. So each team member has assigned 825 00:47:54,800 --> 00:47:58,960 Speaker 1: duties that they must complete day to day. Sometimes it's 826 00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:02,520 Speaker 1: mundane stuff like cleaning up the habitat or cooking or 827 00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:06,400 Speaker 1: something along those lines. Sometimes it's mission oriented stuff like 828 00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:09,359 Speaker 1: going out on a Mars walk or conducting experiments within 829 00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:13,240 Speaker 1: the habitat itself, but they can also pursue personal research 830 00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:15,880 Speaker 1: projects during the course of the experiment. So a lot 831 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:17,520 Speaker 1: of the people who apply to be part of High 832 00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:21,560 Speaker 1: Seas are also graduate students. Typically uh and a year 833 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:23,759 Speaker 1: long commitment's a big deal. I mean, you can do 834 00:48:23,880 --> 00:48:26,479 Speaker 1: some really serious research within the course of a year, 835 00:48:27,280 --> 00:48:31,040 Speaker 1: but that's a full year of your life. So here's 836 00:48:31,080 --> 00:48:35,840 Speaker 1: the mission team from Mission for You had Commander Carmel Johnston. 837 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:40,160 Speaker 1: She's a soil scientist from Montana and her primary focus 838 00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:42,520 Speaker 1: was to study how a Martian crew might grow food 839 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:47,319 Speaker 1: on a real mission. Um you had Christian Heinek, a 840 00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:50,680 Speaker 1: physicist and engineer from Germany. She had worked on projects 841 00:48:50,800 --> 00:48:55,640 Speaker 1: ranging from electro magnetic phenomena like the polar lights two 842 00:48:55,760 --> 00:49:00,320 Speaker 1: simulations of the Earth's mantle before she joined High Seas. 843 00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:05,480 Speaker 1: Super smart like her degrees are crazy because they focus 844 00:49:05,560 --> 00:49:11,240 Speaker 1: on so many different different disciplines of science. She clearly 845 00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:15,879 Speaker 1: is very intelligent and very curious, which is awesome. Then 846 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:19,680 Speaker 1: there was Shana Gifford. She also has a ton of 847 00:49:19,680 --> 00:49:26,720 Speaker 1: academic credentials, including degrees and clinical laboratory science, biotechnology, journalism, 848 00:49:26,719 --> 00:49:30,399 Speaker 1: and neuroscience. And she's also a science communicator, so as 849 00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:35,760 Speaker 1: a fellow science communicator again, I am humbled by her accomplishments. 850 00:49:35,920 --> 00:49:37,600 Speaker 1: I should get her on the show if I can, 851 00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:42,600 Speaker 1: uh yet. Andre Stewart an aerospace engineer and flight engineer 852 00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:45,640 Speaker 1: for NASA. He's also he was working for Lockheed Martin 853 00:49:45,719 --> 00:49:48,480 Speaker 1: before this this project. And there's also a picture of 854 00:49:48,520 --> 00:49:50,920 Speaker 1: him in the habitat wearing a Jane hat from Firefly, 855 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:55,600 Speaker 1: so that's kind of awesome. H Then you have Cyprien Versus, 856 00:49:56,080 --> 00:50:00,000 Speaker 1: an astrobiologist expert. One of his goals is to pioneer 857 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:03,759 Speaker 1: are ways that future Martian colonists will produce various resources 858 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,839 Speaker 1: using biological processes, which would mean you'd use you know, 859 00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:10,399 Speaker 1: like bacteria to produce stuff you would need. You would 860 00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:15,200 Speaker 1: genetically modify the bacteria so that waste products that otherwise 861 00:50:15,200 --> 00:50:19,040 Speaker 1: would just be thrown out could be converted into useful stuff. 862 00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:24,000 Speaker 1: That could be everything from helping generate food or oxygen 863 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:28,080 Speaker 1: or rocket fuel even And the goal is to make 864 00:50:28,480 --> 00:50:33,440 Speaker 1: Martian colonies, future Martian colonies more independent from Earth, not 865 00:50:33,600 --> 00:50:37,520 Speaker 1: as like some sort of utopian society, but rather you 866 00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:41,000 Speaker 1: don't have to rely on so many resupplies. You can 867 00:50:41,760 --> 00:50:47,840 Speaker 1: support yourself independently, which would really increase the success probabilities 868 00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:51,920 Speaker 1: of such a colony be really important. So that was 869 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:54,440 Speaker 1: really what he was focused on. And then you had 870 00:50:54,560 --> 00:50:58,239 Speaker 1: Tristan basin th Weight, who's an architect, and he was 871 00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:03,280 Speaker 1: studying human habitation extreme environments. So kind of a person 872 00:51:03,320 --> 00:51:07,320 Speaker 1: who's living through this experience making note of it, making 873 00:51:07,360 --> 00:51:12,640 Speaker 1: suggestions for what future habitats should incorporate. Maybe maybe elements 874 00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:15,480 Speaker 1: they should get rid of, or elements they should add. 875 00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:19,839 Speaker 1: Stuff that will again improve the success rate of any 876 00:51:19,880 --> 00:51:23,399 Speaker 1: future Martian colony. So what was the outcome, Well, they 877 00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:27,200 Speaker 1: spent a full year in that habitat, so that part 878 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:29,440 Speaker 1: was a success. They did not have to end the 879 00:51:29,440 --> 00:51:33,959 Speaker 1: experiment early. No one got severely injured. One of the 880 00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:36,400 Speaker 1: bright spots they said, is that when you are six 881 00:51:36,440 --> 00:51:39,879 Speaker 1: people that are completely separated from everyone else, no one 882 00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:44,560 Speaker 1: gets sick because viruses and can't just spontaneously pop up. 883 00:51:44,600 --> 00:51:48,360 Speaker 1: You could get uh, some food poisoning or something. And 884 00:51:48,400 --> 00:51:50,759 Speaker 1: in fact, one of the participants did get hit by 885 00:51:50,800 --> 00:51:55,400 Speaker 1: like a stomach bug of some sort or just maybe 886 00:51:55,440 --> 00:51:57,359 Speaker 1: something they just did not agree with them for one 887 00:51:57,400 --> 00:52:00,919 Speaker 1: reason or another. But apart from that, they couldn't pass 888 00:52:00,960 --> 00:52:03,160 Speaker 1: anything along to each other because they were all healthy 889 00:52:03,160 --> 00:52:05,200 Speaker 1: when they went into the habitat, so I said that 890 00:52:05,239 --> 00:52:08,640 Speaker 1: was kind of cool, But keeping people happy when isolated 891 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:11,520 Speaker 1: for a really long time is very difficult. According to 892 00:52:11,560 --> 00:52:13,560 Speaker 1: members of the crew, one of the best ways to 893 00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:19,680 Speaker 1: improve morale is through emergencies. Really, because an emergency requires 894 00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:22,600 Speaker 1: the crew to work together and focus on a particular task. 895 00:52:22,719 --> 00:52:27,520 Speaker 1: You cannot act as a lone wolf or else everybody 896 00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:30,880 Speaker 1: dies the mission is in jeopardy. So when the emergency 897 00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:33,719 Speaker 1: is over, everyone feels satisfied and they feel closer to 898 00:52:33,760 --> 00:52:37,359 Speaker 1: each other. But being in those close quarters for that 899 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:41,279 Speaker 1: long doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna be the best of 900 00:52:41,320 --> 00:52:45,560 Speaker 1: buddies with everyone when it's over. The participants have been 901 00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:51,440 Speaker 1: pretty diplomatic about this, but it's clear that some folks 902 00:52:51,800 --> 00:52:53,840 Speaker 1: are gonna be in touch with each other for a 903 00:52:53,920 --> 00:52:57,600 Speaker 1: very long time and other folks maybe not so much. Um, 904 00:52:57,719 --> 00:53:00,800 Speaker 1: So it's not like everyone becomes in separable at the 905 00:53:00,880 --> 00:53:03,839 Speaker 1: end of this, so that's kind of interesting. There's very 906 00:53:03,840 --> 00:53:06,920 Speaker 1: little privacy in the habitat. I mean, everyone has their 907 00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:09,000 Speaker 1: own private bedroom. But that bedroom, like I says, a 908 00:53:09,080 --> 00:53:13,319 Speaker 1: closet um, and there's no real space to kind of 909 00:53:13,920 --> 00:53:16,719 Speaker 1: get away unless you go to that bedroom, assuming that 910 00:53:16,800 --> 00:53:18,480 Speaker 1: you have the time to do so, because you also 911 00:53:18,520 --> 00:53:23,600 Speaker 1: have duties to perform, and most of the stuff the 912 00:53:23,600 --> 00:53:26,480 Speaker 1: the actual possessions in the habitat were pretty much considered 913 00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:31,160 Speaker 1: communal property. You could have private possessions, but you also 914 00:53:31,239 --> 00:53:33,799 Speaker 1: understood that those private possessions might end up getting pulled 915 00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:37,000 Speaker 1: into a solution to a problem. So it may mean 916 00:53:37,880 --> 00:53:41,560 Speaker 1: the thing you were thinking of as yours becomes important 917 00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:46,680 Speaker 1: to solve an engineering issue. It sounds very kind of 918 00:53:46,719 --> 00:53:50,040 Speaker 1: mcgeiver ishu, but it's true. And it's also a challenge 919 00:53:50,080 --> 00:53:52,920 Speaker 1: to learn how each person is going to respond to 920 00:53:53,120 --> 00:53:56,440 Speaker 1: and manage the stress of being in this isolated environment. 921 00:53:57,560 --> 00:54:02,560 Speaker 1: Some management strategies like being passive aggressive don't work in 922 00:54:02,640 --> 00:54:05,880 Speaker 1: a small, enclosed environment where people can't get away from 923 00:54:05,920 --> 00:54:09,200 Speaker 1: each other. And also you had the challenge of cultural 924 00:54:09,200 --> 00:54:13,440 Speaker 1: differences being involved. This was an international series of missions, 925 00:54:13,960 --> 00:54:16,440 Speaker 1: meaning that there were people from all different parts of 926 00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:19,640 Speaker 1: the world who could potentially be part of this. Now 927 00:54:19,719 --> 00:54:22,560 Speaker 1: that meant a couple of different things. That cultural differences 928 00:54:22,600 --> 00:54:25,879 Speaker 1: could rear up and cause friction. But it also meant 929 00:54:25,880 --> 00:54:29,600 Speaker 1: that people got to try different cuisines from other parts 930 00:54:29,600 --> 00:54:31,359 Speaker 1: of the world, and apparently that was one of the 931 00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:35,000 Speaker 1: big things. People really like the idea of trying stuff 932 00:54:35,840 --> 00:54:40,239 Speaker 1: like home cooked meals from other cultures, and it was 933 00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:44,239 Speaker 1: an interesting way to broaden your horizons. But yeah, that 934 00:54:44,320 --> 00:54:49,120 Speaker 1: cultural difference could also pose an issue with communication. So, 935 00:54:49,239 --> 00:54:51,600 Speaker 1: like I said, basic for Weight himself was saying, sometimes 936 00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:55,240 Speaker 1: they would just plan an impromptu e V, a extra 937 00:54:55,320 --> 00:55:00,160 Speaker 1: vehicular activity, essentially a Mars walk, just to alleviate boredom. 938 00:55:00,200 --> 00:55:02,360 Speaker 1: That you would go through the whole process of suiting 939 00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:04,480 Speaker 1: up and going through the airlock, which could take around 940 00:55:04,560 --> 00:55:07,520 Speaker 1: an hour to do. Uh, that's a lot of work 941 00:55:07,640 --> 00:55:14,759 Speaker 1: just to avoid tedium. Now, this particular mission, Mission four 942 00:55:15,200 --> 00:55:19,279 Speaker 1: of High Seas is over. It's not the only time 943 00:55:19,320 --> 00:55:23,359 Speaker 1: we've ever seen people try to simulate the isolation people 944 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:26,800 Speaker 1: would feel if they were to go to Mars. Actually, 945 00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:30,120 Speaker 1: in Russia, there have been a series of three experiments 946 00:55:31,160 --> 00:55:35,520 Speaker 1: where people were living in a simulated spacecraft. The three 947 00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:40,200 Speaker 1: experiments collectively totaled sixty days, and the last of the 948 00:55:40,280 --> 00:55:45,480 Speaker 1: three experiments was five hundred twenty days, so like a 949 00:55:45,560 --> 00:55:50,840 Speaker 1: year and a half of isolation. The mission included a 950 00:55:50,880 --> 00:55:54,399 Speaker 1: simulated landing on Mars that long one did, as well 951 00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:57,240 Speaker 1: as three e v A s on the Martian surface. 952 00:55:58,080 --> 00:56:01,480 Speaker 1: According to the Russians at the time, everything turned out swimmingly. 953 00:56:02,800 --> 00:56:04,600 Speaker 1: There have been some other reports that said that there 954 00:56:04,640 --> 00:56:08,799 Speaker 1: were you know, there were issues, not nothing that would 955 00:56:08,840 --> 00:56:13,160 Speaker 1: stop the mission, but that not everything was absolutely perfect 956 00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:16,640 Speaker 1: as you might have been led to believe. Um, so 957 00:56:16,760 --> 00:56:18,959 Speaker 1: there could be some propaganda stuff going on in there. 958 00:56:19,840 --> 00:56:22,719 Speaker 1: I would imagine any group, even if you have very 959 00:56:22,760 --> 00:56:28,080 Speaker 1: disciplined people, would suffer setbacks now and again just because 960 00:56:28,719 --> 00:56:33,200 Speaker 1: of the various different personalities and the stress involved. But 961 00:56:33,280 --> 00:56:36,920 Speaker 1: what's next, Well, the next High Seas experiment is already 962 00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:40,960 Speaker 1: in the planning stages. If you wanted to apply, oops, 963 00:56:41,680 --> 00:56:43,480 Speaker 1: because this episode is going to come out too late 964 00:56:43,520 --> 00:56:46,040 Speaker 1: for you to do that. I'm recording this on September two, 965 00:56:46,120 --> 00:56:50,319 Speaker 1: two sixteen, but applications are due on September five, and 966 00:56:50,400 --> 00:56:52,799 Speaker 1: this episode goes up after that, And as far as 967 00:56:52,840 --> 00:56:56,600 Speaker 1: I know, the applications are for both of the last 968 00:56:56,680 --> 00:56:59,960 Speaker 1: two missions that are scheduled. One schedule for two seventeen, 969 00:57:00,360 --> 00:57:03,640 Speaker 1: one schedule for two thousand and eighteen. They're both going 970 00:57:03,680 --> 00:57:09,000 Speaker 1: to last eight months long each, so I apologize if 971 00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:13,160 Speaker 1: you wanted to apply, it's too late. Those are supposed 972 00:57:13,200 --> 00:57:16,080 Speaker 1: to be the two final experiments for high seas, though 973 00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:19,160 Speaker 1: you never know, there may be another high seas experiment, 974 00:57:19,240 --> 00:57:23,520 Speaker 1: perhaps a redesigned habitat um. I don't know how that's 975 00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:26,040 Speaker 1: going to turn out after these last two missions, or 976 00:57:26,080 --> 00:57:28,360 Speaker 1: if the whole thing will just say all right, here's 977 00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:31,240 Speaker 1: all the data we gathered and now this branch of 978 00:57:31,280 --> 00:57:35,439 Speaker 1: experimentation is over. That's a possibility, And then of course 979 00:57:35,480 --> 00:57:37,880 Speaker 1: we have the long term goal of actually going to Mars. 980 00:57:38,760 --> 00:57:42,120 Speaker 1: A Martian habitat might be at least partially underground in 981 00:57:42,200 --> 00:57:45,960 Speaker 1: a future Mars colony. The reason to put a Martian 982 00:57:46,120 --> 00:57:49,440 Speaker 1: colony underground is to protect against that radiation I was 983 00:57:49,440 --> 00:57:53,080 Speaker 1: talking about. You would want protection from cosmic radiation as 984 00:57:53,120 --> 00:57:56,160 Speaker 1: well as X rays, ultraviolet rays, that kind of stuff, 985 00:57:56,560 --> 00:58:00,240 Speaker 1: and the Martian soil could do that for you. Since 986 00:58:00,240 --> 00:58:03,440 Speaker 1: there's no magnetosphere or not a strong one anyway to 987 00:58:03,520 --> 00:58:07,240 Speaker 1: protect you, you could protect yourself by burying your habitats 988 00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:09,840 Speaker 1: under the ground, So you would probably have a few 989 00:58:09,880 --> 00:58:14,720 Speaker 1: surface level buildings with tunnels that lead down into underground 990 00:58:14,720 --> 00:58:18,160 Speaker 1: habitats where people were actually living, and you would do 991 00:58:18,320 --> 00:58:20,920 Speaker 1: the same process of getting into a space suit if 992 00:58:20,920 --> 00:58:24,640 Speaker 1: you want to emerge out on the Martian surface. One 993 00:58:24,680 --> 00:58:27,320 Speaker 1: of the different proposals I have seen a lot of 994 00:58:27,360 --> 00:58:32,440 Speaker 1: different UH proposed missions to Mars involved. This would include 995 00:58:32,440 --> 00:58:37,320 Speaker 1: sending robots ahead of time to go and excavate an 996 00:58:37,360 --> 00:58:41,240 Speaker 1: area where then they could assemble at least some of 997 00:58:41,280 --> 00:58:46,200 Speaker 1: the habitats and then piled dirt regulus on top of 998 00:58:46,240 --> 00:58:49,920 Speaker 1: them to bury them. And that way astronauts when they 999 00:58:50,000 --> 00:58:52,480 Speaker 1: arrive at Mars would already have a place to go to. 1000 00:58:52,680 --> 00:58:55,880 Speaker 1: They wouldn't have to set it up themselves. That seems 1001 00:58:55,880 --> 00:58:58,920 Speaker 1: pretty intelligent to me. They would also involve sending cargo 1002 00:58:58,960 --> 00:59:01,840 Speaker 1: ahead of time so that when the mark the the 1003 00:59:01,840 --> 00:59:06,360 Speaker 1: the Martian UH colonists or the explorers more likely explorers 1004 00:59:06,360 --> 00:59:10,640 Speaker 1: than colonists. First off, when they land, they would already 1005 00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:12,920 Speaker 1: have some of their stuff there. They wouldn't have to 1006 00:59:12,920 --> 00:59:16,080 Speaker 1: take everything with them, and thus again you could spread 1007 00:59:16,120 --> 00:59:21,000 Speaker 1: out the weight of all of that stuff across multiple 1008 00:59:21,080 --> 00:59:23,040 Speaker 1: launches instead of trying to pack it all into a 1009 00:59:23,080 --> 00:59:27,440 Speaker 1: single one, and they could then take those that cargo 1010 00:59:27,600 --> 00:59:31,200 Speaker 1: storied in the proper space and start their mission uh, 1011 00:59:31,240 --> 00:59:34,200 Speaker 1: probably for a couple of years, and then try a 1012 00:59:34,240 --> 00:59:38,160 Speaker 1: return trip to Earth. We're talking about probably a full 1013 00:59:38,680 --> 00:59:40,720 Speaker 1: like three to three and a half years for a 1014 00:59:40,720 --> 00:59:43,800 Speaker 1: full Martian mission, when you include the trips out to 1015 00:59:43,880 --> 00:59:48,280 Speaker 1: Mars back from Mars, and the time spent on Mars. Uh. 1016 00:59:48,720 --> 00:59:50,840 Speaker 1: I think it's really exciting, and I love that we 1017 00:59:50,920 --> 00:59:56,680 Speaker 1: have been working very seriously on designing a habitat that 1018 00:59:57,160 --> 01:00:01,960 Speaker 1: meets both the technical requirements we would have on Mars 1019 01:00:02,040 --> 01:00:06,320 Speaker 1: and the psychological requirements we would have. Because if you've 1020 01:00:06,360 --> 01:00:11,480 Speaker 1: ever really used any technology developed entirely just by engineers, 1021 01:00:11,920 --> 01:00:15,600 Speaker 1: you may notice will it works, but it doesn't work 1022 01:00:15,600 --> 01:00:19,920 Speaker 1: in a way that seems natural or intuitive. Sometimes that happens, 1023 01:00:20,240 --> 01:00:22,000 Speaker 1: and it may be that it makes perfect sense. It 1024 01:00:22,040 --> 01:00:24,479 Speaker 1: just requires you to think in a very specific way. 1025 01:00:24,560 --> 01:00:28,160 Speaker 1: You have to adjust your behavior and your thinking so 1026 01:00:28,200 --> 01:00:31,680 Speaker 1: that you get the most out of that piece of technology. 1027 01:00:31,720 --> 01:00:35,640 Speaker 1: But when you're talking about people living on another planet, 1028 01:00:36,000 --> 01:00:38,720 Speaker 1: you want that to be effortless. You don't want to 1029 01:00:38,720 --> 01:00:42,400 Speaker 1: have to adjust your thinking and your behavior to your destination, 1030 01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:46,280 Speaker 1: or at least not entirely. Some of that is absolutely necessary. 1031 01:00:46,360 --> 01:00:50,240 Speaker 1: Because of the differences between Mars and Earth. But you 1032 01:00:50,280 --> 01:00:56,120 Speaker 1: want the the habitat two be as much benefit to 1033 01:00:56,160 --> 01:01:00,840 Speaker 1: you as possible. So anyway, thank you so much Jeremiah 1034 01:01:01,160 --> 01:01:04,640 Speaker 1: for the suggestion. I really appreciate it. This was a 1035 01:01:04,640 --> 01:01:07,120 Speaker 1: lot of fun to look into. Um I'm sad that 1036 01:01:07,200 --> 01:01:10,000 Speaker 1: I was not able to see this habitat the last 1037 01:01:10,000 --> 01:01:12,080 Speaker 1: time I was in Hawaii, which was not that long ago. 1038 01:01:12,080 --> 01:01:15,120 Speaker 1: When I was less in Hawaii, this experiment was underway. 1039 01:01:15,160 --> 01:01:19,880 Speaker 1: They were inside the habitat, but it's not exactly on 1040 01:01:19,960 --> 01:01:22,720 Speaker 1: an easily accessible part of Manta Loah, which is part 1041 01:01:22,720 --> 01:01:24,440 Speaker 1: of the point, right. You wouldn't want it to be 1042 01:01:24,480 --> 01:01:27,520 Speaker 1: easily accessible. Then you could put the whole experiment at 1043 01:01:27,640 --> 01:01:30,480 Speaker 1: risk with tourists just walking up and standing on the 1044 01:01:30,520 --> 01:01:32,880 Speaker 1: surface of Mars in the background of the pictures as 1045 01:01:32,920 --> 01:01:36,320 Speaker 1: astronauts are trying to do missions. That would be a 1046 01:01:36,320 --> 01:01:40,000 Speaker 1: little silly. So I totally understand. But still it's kind 1047 01:01:40,000 --> 01:01:42,160 Speaker 1: of a bummer because I would love to see this place. 1048 01:01:42,520 --> 01:01:45,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I really really would love to see this place, 1049 01:01:45,160 --> 01:01:47,080 Speaker 1: and I got to Hawaii a lot. So if anyone 1050 01:01:47,120 --> 01:01:50,160 Speaker 1: at High Seas is like, hey, when we're not doing 1051 01:01:50,200 --> 01:01:53,720 Speaker 1: a mission, we're not doing an experiment. UH, and you 1052 01:01:53,760 --> 01:01:56,439 Speaker 1: want to see this space, come on over. Please let 1053 01:01:56,480 --> 01:01:58,920 Speaker 1: me know, because I will do it in a heartbeat. 1054 01:01:58,960 --> 01:02:01,200 Speaker 1: I will book a trip to Hawaii so I can 1055 01:02:01,240 --> 01:02:04,000 Speaker 1: see it. First of all, I love Hawaii, UH and 1056 01:02:04,040 --> 01:02:06,280 Speaker 1: I would love to go back again. And second of all, 1057 01:02:06,600 --> 01:02:08,800 Speaker 1: I think it would be the experience of a lifetime 1058 01:02:09,080 --> 01:02:12,000 Speaker 1: even just to walk around this habitat and see the 1059 01:02:12,040 --> 01:02:15,920 Speaker 1: condition of the space and how what it must feel 1060 01:02:15,960 --> 01:02:18,920 Speaker 1: like to be in that space, even just for a 1061 01:02:18,960 --> 01:02:22,720 Speaker 1: few like a half hour, as opposed to a full year, 1062 01:02:23,320 --> 01:02:26,480 Speaker 1: It would be phenomenal. But I hold out very little 1063 01:02:26,480 --> 01:02:28,640 Speaker 1: hope that anyone that high sees is listening to this 1064 01:02:29,320 --> 01:02:32,040 Speaker 1: um if they are passed along, I'd love to check 1065 01:02:32,040 --> 01:02:36,080 Speaker 1: it out. Guys, this has been a fantastic time for me. 1066 01:02:36,160 --> 01:02:38,400 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed it. I didn't go into too 1067 01:02:38,480 --> 01:02:41,720 Speaker 1: much pirate voice, so I hope that helps, and didn't 1068 01:02:41,720 --> 01:02:45,720 Speaker 1: make too many high seas funds. I really look forward 1069 01:02:45,760 --> 01:02:49,080 Speaker 1: to tackling a lot more UH topics that you guys choose. 1070 01:02:49,200 --> 01:02:52,200 Speaker 1: Just send me messages, send me an email the addresses 1071 01:02:52,200 --> 01:02:54,840 Speaker 1: tech stuff at how stuff works dot com, or send 1072 01:02:54,840 --> 01:02:56,960 Speaker 1: it to me on Twitter or Facebook. At both of 1073 01:02:56,960 --> 01:02:59,760 Speaker 1: those the handles text stuff hs W. You can also 1074 01:02:59,800 --> 01:03:03,200 Speaker 1: fall allow my personal Twitter account that's John Strickland, j 1075 01:03:03,360 --> 01:03:06,000 Speaker 1: O N S t R I C K L A 1076 01:03:06,200 --> 01:03:09,240 Speaker 1: N D and UM. I post all the time from there, 1077 01:03:09,800 --> 01:03:12,640 Speaker 1: often about my dog, So if you don't want to 1078 01:03:12,640 --> 01:03:15,400 Speaker 1: see that, it's I don't blame you, but he is 1079 01:03:15,440 --> 01:03:18,080 Speaker 1: adorable and you should look at him because he's the cutest. 1080 01:03:18,960 --> 01:03:21,600 Speaker 1: You guys, have a great day. I will talk to 1081 01:03:21,640 --> 01:03:29,640 Speaker 1: you again really soon for more on this and thousands 1082 01:03:29,680 --> 01:03:41,480 Speaker 1: of other topics. Because it has staff works dot com