People going to Mars?
Yes! NASA is sending four people on a 45-day mission to Mars, starting 10th May 2024 and ending on 24th June 2024.
Surprisingly, they will go to Mars without even leaving Earth. Confused? Let us explain.
It's a simulated mission taking place in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) at NASA.
Once inside HERA, the team will live and work like astronauts travelling to Mars. It’ll be like a game - pretending to live on Mars!
HERA - What's that?
HERA is a big machine in which NASA scientists can replicate different conditions like isolation, confinement, and remote environments for space exploration.
Inside HERA, NASA scientists will create an environment just like actual Mars. Then the team of four will act like they are living on Mars, getting used to that planet’s conditions.
HERA helps NASA learn how people handle isolation and confinement before big space trips, like to Mars or the Moon.
What will the team be doing?
The team will do various scientific research and tasks, including walking on Mars’s surface using virtual reality. Scientists will study them to help in future Mars missions.
Travelling to and living on Mars is still a dream for the future. We need more research and technological advancement before we can do that.
