Mountaineering: An Analog for Human Space Training

Clifford Hall, Room 210

Astronauts use many analog missions to simulate, train for space exploration, and gather results regarding human factors in a controlled environment. The Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) at Johnson Space Center is a unique three-story habitat designed to serve as an analog for isolation, confinement, and remote conditions. The Human Exploration Spacecraft Tested for Integration and Advancement (HESTIA) is being developed as a highfidelity, human-in-the-loop, Lunar/Mars surface analog in support for next generation human exploration missions. NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) is an underwater habitat that sends groups of astronauts, engineers, and scientists for up to three weeks at a time to allow trainees to experience some of the same challenges that they would on a distant asteroid, planet, or a moon. BIOS 1, 2, 3 tests the efficiency of a closed recycle system. The MARS 500 simulated a Martian mission by confining participants to severe habitats that simulated Mars’ atmosphere and surface. There are many more analog missions that astronaut trainees use to experience and simulate the harsh environment of space. I believe mountaineering is another analog that would be beneficial as it is an extreme environment that stresses the human body both physically and mentally.