Life in a Mars Simulation with Kelly Haston

About This Episode

What would life be like for astronauts on Mars? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice dive into the world of simulated Mars missions with Commander Kelly Haston, who recently completed a NASA analog mission in a simulated Mars habitat. 

Learn about the CHAPEA mission designed to evaluate crew health and performance in isolation inside of a 3D-printed habitat at the Johnson Space Center, simulating the challenges of life on Mars. Kelly shares her experiences from spending 378 days in the habitat with her team, including a flight engineer, medical officer, and science officer. Discover how they navigated the psychological and physical demands of the mission, dealing with limited resources, and delayed communication with NASA and their families.

We explore the challenges of living in such a confined space, from growing food and maintaining a clean environment to the surprising dynamics of crew relationships under stress. They also touch on the importance of the simulated Mars environment, which included a VR setup for “Mars walks” and many troubleshooting tasks for the team. 

We explore the tensions that arise when people are stuck together for so long, and what they get to bring with them to simulated Mars. What movies do Mars astronauts want to watch? Plus, do they keep staying on Earth time or switch to Martian time? And, learn about growing crops in the habitat and all the testing being done on the astronauts. 

As they discuss the broader implications of such missions for future space exploration, Neil references sci-fi, including The Twilight Zone and The Martian, drawing parallels between the psychological toll of isolation in space and the themes explored in the show. The episode wraps up with a look ahead to future simulated missions and the ongoing research that will help humanity prepare for the real challenges of living on Mars.

Thanks to our Patrons Bob Zimmermann, Edward Bucktron, Intrepid Space Monkey, Cameron Ross, Mark Shashek, Lexi & Rick, Hidde Waagemans, Matthew Mickelson, Chris Vetter, John Haverlack, Brady Fiechter, and Adam Crowther for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.