Newly-selected crew for the next mission of NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog. From left to right: Brad Hensley, Jennifer Milczarski, Alejandro Diaz, and Roberto Carlino.

Credit: NASA

A new crew is gearing up to participate in NASA’s next simulated mission to Mars. Crew members will soon enter the Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Once inside HERA, they will live and work like astronauts for 45 days while “traveling” to the Martian moon Phobos.

The new crew includes Roberto Carlino, Alejandro Diaz, Brad Hensley, and Jennifer Milczarski. Their mission begins on May 27 and they will “return” to Earth by stepping outside HERA on July 11.

HERA enables researchers to study how crew members adjust to isolation, confinement, and remote conditions on Earth before NASA sends astronauts on deep-space missions. To help researchers learn about crew behaviors, the crew carries out various science and maintenance inside HERA. Crew members also face increasing communication delays with their ground control support — staff outside their habitat — as they “approach” Phobos. All these activities help researchers learn how crew members become more autonomous, work as a team, and communicate effectively to accomplish mission tasks.

This crew marks the third group of volunteers to participate in HERA’s current research campaign. The most recent mission ended March 14. Before that, HERA’s first mission of this campaign — and the first mission following pandemic isolation — ended Nov. 15, 2021. One more mission, set to end in September, is planned for this campaign.

As with the other HERA missions this year, NASA’s Human Research Program, or HRP, is performing 15 studies on human behavior. These studies will help NASA create a robust data set on how individuals adapt to challenges inherent in spaceflight. With this data set, scientists can develop strategies to better prepare astronauts for Artemis missions to the Moon, and eventually for ventures to Mars.

See below for details about each primary and backup crew member.