Deep Space Flight Simulation - Case Study Example

Deep Space Flight Simulation s Deep Space Flight Simulation There are various flight simulation events that have occurred; simulation to Mars has occurred by using different types of technologies such as X-Plane simulation (software) and real life simulation like the Mars 500. The Mars 500 mission was conducted between the years 2007 through 2011. The simulation was carried out by the European space agency, Russia, and China. The experiment facility was situated at the Institute of Biomedical Problems that is located at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The mission was conducted by an all-male crew of one Chinese, three Russians an Italian and a Frenchman. Mars 500 was successful because it helped plan interplanetary missions while identifying the difficulties and the solutions. The simulation ran the earth to Mars shuttle, the ascent and descent processes and the landing on the Martian surface. The crew members were professionals in various fields such as medicine, human spaceflight, biology and engineering (Corley, 2011). Purpose, Objectives, and Experiments The rationale of this simulation was to come up with valuable medical and psychological data on the effects of long-term and deep space missions. Other studies carried out involved long distance spaceflight management, work capability of crew members and technical challenges. Relevant information regarding communication, resource rationing, autonomy isolation conditions and health was collected. Scientific objectives involved coming up with methods and means of controlling and monitoring the habitat during lengthy stays in cramped conditions. It also included diagnostic planning, using telemedicine technologies, and countering adverse flight effects on the crew members. The monitoring of information transfer and reporting systems, medical support and using socio-mapping methods was carried out. The mission occurred in three different stages; the fifteen-day stage where testing of technical facilities, equipments, and operation procedures was conducted. The 105-day stage where the six volunteers started living in the isolated compound, this stage began on 31st March 2009 and was completed on 14th July 2009. The final 520-day stage; where the sole purpose was the full simulation of the manned mission. It consisted the landing on Mars and simulated Mars walks, the stage began on 3rd June 2010 and concluded on 4th November 2011. 520 Day Simulation The six volunteers were locked inside a mock spaceship with its destination being Mars. Prior to this event, no other spaceflight or simulation had lasted for more than a year. The facility had three modules; the habitat, medical and central spacecraft. The habitable module had six compartments each for every crew member; a kitchen, living, dining and toilet areas and a control room. The individual compartments measured thirty-two square feet (32 sq ft) with a bed, desk, chair and shelves for placing personal items. There was also a medical module for isolation and treatment of sick crew members. A Mars landing simulator and storage module were also present in the facility. The utility module consisted of a gym, refrigeration unit and greenhouses where they grew food (Lepisto, 2011). After takeoff, the crew members were kept busy by the challenges of being isolated. During the first few weeks of isolation, the crew conducted a simulation of staying in a space station closer to the earth’s orbit. After their stay in the space station, they would embark on approaching planet Mars. The major difference between a journey to planet Mars and being closer to planet Earth is signal delay and the chance of receiving new supplies. The International Space Station can be reached within forty-eight hours from the earth’s surface. It is the last opportunity for crew members to obtain new resources and supplies. After this, the spacecraft will travel further into deep space where getting new supplies is impossible. Further distance also relates to signal delays where messages require twenty minutes to reach its destination. The only way the six crew members could send messages was using a webcam to record video messages that they later sent to the respondents (European Space Agency, 2009). Orbit around Mars and Landing The men aboard the locked steel capsule communicated with outsiders through video messages and emails. The messages were being delayed to create the feel of being further away from earth even though they were a couple of yards from the control room. They ate canned food similar to the foodstuffs found on the international space station and showered once every week. After two hundred and forty days of virtual interplanetary flight, the Mars 500 arrived on Mars. The final approach that was started on 24th December 2011 began by shifting the modules trajectory from interplanetary space into a spiral orbit straight down the Martian surface. Crew members opened the hatch between the Lander which was separately launched to Mars and the mother ship. The crew would later transfer the cargo inside the Lander to the habitat and afterward prepare the Lander for undocking and landing (Marsdaily.com, 2011). They would then divide themselves into two groups with one group entering the Lander while the remaining stayed in orbit. After this process, the hatch between the Lander and the interplanetary spacecraft will be closed to facilitate undocking and subsequent touchdown scheduled on 12th February 2011 (Marsdaily.com, 2011). The crew members who detached from the mother ship landed on the surface that was a room with high, domed ceiling structure and floor filled with reddish rocks and sand. They took turns to explore the Martian surface in turns where they planted their individual flags, took rocks and soil samples using special tools developed for the Soviet lunar program. The three who landed on the Martian surface would later ditch their Lander and rejoin with their counterparts who stayed in the orbiting modules. The next phase was to return to earth. Returning back to earth would be the most challenging aspect of the journey (Corley, 2011). It is because they have passed all experimental stages that they trained for, for example; flight and walking on the surface experiments. The return to earth has no new events or procedures and no new foodstuffs (Vasilyeva, 2011). Journey back to Earth The journey of traveling back to earth would take 240 days where the individuals were forced to enjoy extended periods of monotony. Mission control created mock emergencies for the members as a way of keeping them busy as they returned back to earth. In December, they had to endure a day in the dark after a simulated emergency blackout that left them with a few backup generators. They passed time by playing cards and chess using flashlights, and they also had to endure a week of radio silence. The landing on this simulated exercise had no dramatic end; there was no space ship landing or parachutes involved (Elder, 2011). A control room scientist turned the handle on the capsule’s metal door and opened the hatch. It marked the ending of the uninterrupted isolation, monotony, voluntary hardships and lack of sunlight. The six individuals emerged, waving to their friends and family. They were later whisked away for further medical checks (Cbc.ca, 2011). Collected Data and Findings During the outward journey to Mars, the crew members wore wrist gadgets that recorded the surrounding light intensity and movements to deduce the levels of activity. The devices also recorded sleeping and waking routines and light exposure experienced by the volunteers. Data has been registered on the wrist devices every minute of the seventeen-month stay; those gadgets recorded 4.4 million data minutes. The researchers ran reaction time and computerized vigilance tests twice every week and continually quizzed the volunteers on tiredness, workload, sleep quality and quantity (Choi, 2013). By studying the obtained data, the scientists discovered that the overall movement during the mission progressively decreased to what they termed as behavioral torpor. Sleep time increased by about thirty-five minutes per day, this recorded an eight percent increase. Activity levels while awake declined over time by seven percent with each member having seventy fewer minutes of exercise every day. The information is vital due to microgravity located in space; this means that if the researchers were not active they might have suffered from muscle and bone loss. They would have also experienced de-conditioning of the cardiovascular muscle, and this would have resulted in a failure of the mission (Choi, 2013). The researchers also found that more sleep led to high scores on vigilance tests. Four crew members experienced disturbances in their sleep behavior, and this went on throughout the mission. Some had poor quality and less sleep resulting in reduced performance. The circadian rhythms were out of sync with the crew members, and this threatened the success of the mission. The noted differences between team members will help to identify differential vulnerability. It will assist in selecting proper team for optimal training and provide them with customized countermeasures for deep space flight ventures. Future research will as a result put into consideration; lighting timing, intensity and color that influences circadian cycles. Timing the exercise and dining periods will help crew members to maintain normal circadian rhythms. These findings will influence further research to come up with ways of keeping team members active and exclude monotony (Choi, 2013). In conclusion, the six individuals faced challenges as a result of the excruciating monotony of isolation. Seeing the same faces for many months is challenging and their eagerness to come back home was evident by messages sent during the last day. The findings of this mission clearly highlight various aspects that need to be avoided during deep space expeditions (Uphs.upenn.edu, 2013). For example, monotony while transitioning to and from the red planet should be prevented, and crew members should be kept busy while awake. Researchers who studied the findings point that a successful adaptation of such missions should have habitats that mimic aspects of the earth’s circadian rhythms. Sleep has been identified as an essential element of the deep space travels hence regular sleep should be maintained. References Cbc.ca,. (2011). Mars mission simulation ends after 520 days. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/mars-mission-simulation-ends-after-520-days-1.1096114 Choi, C. (2013). Mock Mars Flight Reveals Big Sleep Concerns for Astronauts. Space.com. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.space.com/19168-mock-mars-flight-reveals-big-sleep-concerns-for-astronauts.html Corley, A. (2011). Short Sharp Science: A year in the life of a Marsonaut. Newscientist.com. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/06/a-year-in-the-life-of-a-marson.html Corley, A. (2011). 520 days: inside the Mars 500 control room. New Scientist, 211(2830), 39-43. doi:10.1016/s0262-4079(11)62290-2 Elder, M. (2011). Mars crew emerge from 18-month mission that never left the car park. the Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/nov/04/mars-500-astronauts-emerge European Space Agency,. (2009). Mars500 diary: challenges on the way to Mars. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Mars500/Mars500_diary_challenges_on_the_way_to_Mars Lepisto, C. (2011). Six Astronauts Return to Earth After Successful Mars-500 Mission. TreeHugger. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.treehugger.com/aviation/six-astronauts-return-earth-after-successful-mars-500-mission.html Marsdaily.com,. (2011). Mars500 Arrives In Orbit Around Mars. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Mars500_Arrives_In_Orbit_Around_Mars_999.html Tafforin, C. (2013). The Mars-500 crew in daily life activities: An ethological study. Acta Astronautica,91, 69-76. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2013.05.001 Uphs.upenn.edu,. (2013). 520-Day Simulated Mission to Mars Reveals Critical Data about Sleep and Activity Needs for Astronauts. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/01/dinges/ Vasilyeva, N. (2011). 520-Day Flight Simulation Nears Landing On Mars. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 March 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/22/mars-flight-simulation_n_812569.html?ir=India Read More