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Reddish brown rocks as far as the eye can see, not a plant in sight. An icy and arid wasteland, with a high summer temperature around 40°F and layers of ice present year-round. No human civilization in sight. This may sound like Mars, but it is a remote island in Northern Canada called Devon Island. Our planet is home to countless people, and astronauts use these strange places that look like other worlds (but with breathable air, of course) to train for life beyond Earth. Let’s look at five locations on Earth that astronauts use to prepare for space travel.
Volcanoes, Iceland
NASA is coming Artemis program (the great American return to the moon) recently sent astronauts to cross the border volcanic landscape of Iceland. This particular spot on Earth has been used for space training since the Apollo days, where astronauts described it as “one of the most lunar training locations they went to during their training” according to NASA Artemis geology training leader Cindy Evans. “It has the landscape; it looks like the moon. And it has the breadth of features that astronauts will both observe and explore on the moon,” she added.
Furthermore, the rocks in Iceland are of the same type as those on the moon: basalt, which is formed by cooling magma (from volcanoes on Earth and impacts on the moon), and breccias, a type of Frankenstein rock made from different chunks. fused together. In this lunar landscape, astronauts practice their geological skills using classic tools such as hammers, shovels and shovels to take samples.
Underwater, the Florida Keys
We obviously don’t have the vacuum of space here on Earth; Almost everywhere we go on the surface there is air to breathe, and we can walk around without a special suit (although you do need warm clothes for the Arctic). However, the ocean is about as hostile as space. To venture into the depths, you must carry your oxygen with you, protect your body from dangerous pressure, and learn to navigate without the familiar downward pull of gravity.
[ Related: Astronauts and aquanauts: What does the sea have to do with space? ]
The Aquarius habitat and research stationrun by NASA and Florida International University, is about 5.6 miles away from Key Largo and almost 65 feet below the surface. In Aquarius, so-called “aquanauts” live and work in their analog spacecraft, testing new spacewalking techniques and other technology for life in space.
Concordia and other stations, Antarctica
Living in space is stressful. You are extremely far from help and the rest of civilization, you are isolated in a small space, and the outside will too literal will kill you if you are not prepared enough to face it. Earth does have a place that meets these three criteria: Antarctica. The frigid and icy terrain is definitely dangerous to humans, and there are no major cities in sight (or even a short drive or flight away). Some research stations are located on the coast of the continent, which is a bit easier to access McMurdo Station. There, astronauts are testing robots that will eventually explore other planets like Mars, and scientists have been studying this how the lack of sunlight in the full nights of the Antarctic winter affects astronauts.
The. is also more than 900 kilometers away from the coastal stations Concordia station run by French and Italian science organizations. At Concordia, the ‘astronaut’ crew members are truly isolated; some will even spend an entire winter there to see what they can learn about the stresses of isolation and how to ease them.
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, Hawaii
On top of the Mauna Loa volcano, over 8,000 feet above sea level, there is a small research station known as HI-SEAS: the Hawaiian space exploration analog and simulation. In this small habitat, so-called “analog astronauts” have experienced four- to 12-month “missions” to simulate what it might be like to live on Mars. To make it as realistic as possible, a communications delay has even been built in between the HI-SEAS residents and their “ground control” closer to sea level, designed to imitate the 20-minute light travel time between Earth and Mars. That is, if you send a message from Mars to Earth, it will take 20 minutes to get there – and then another 20 minutes to receive a response after it’s sent!
Moreover, one of the big challenges of space travel is that you have to take everything you need with you: oxygen, food, water, you name it. If you can make the necessary items at your destination, that would help lot lightening the load on your spacecraft’s luggage! That’s what systems are known as “in-situ use of resources” Come in. These incredible gadgets extract water and carbon dioxide from volcanic rock and could one day be useful for finding and using water on the moon. NASA is currently testing this technology (along with the Canadian Space Agency) on the volcanic mountains of Hawaii, because the rocks and soil there are also a good analogy for lunar geology.
San Francisco Volcanic Field, Arizona
The deserts of Arizona are another favorite destination for analog astronauts that have been used since the Apollo era. Similar to the volcanic plains of Iceland, Arizona’s San Francisco Volcanic Field (located near Flagstaff) has a moon-like geology which is great for practicing moon walks and astronauts’ geological skills. Earlier this year, astronauts from the Artemis program attempted a series of simulated moon walks, testing the rigorous plans for this project future excursions to the lunar south pole. “Field testing plays a critical role in testing all the systems, hardware and technology we need to conduct successful lunar operations during Artemis missions,” said Field Test Director Barbara Janoiko in a NASA press release. “This simulation gives us the opportunity to practice conducting remote geology surveys in real time,” added NASA Goddard science officer Cherie Achilles.