Did all go according to plan ? If not , what went wrong ? Also , what are some disadvantages of the HI-SEAS project ?
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Did all go according to plan ? If not , what went wrong ? Also , what are some disadvantages of the HI-SEAS project ?
The most unpleasant breakdown for me was when one of our composting toilets started failing near the end of the mission . The waste normally sits in a barrel with a fan providing ventilation through the waste and directly outside . But when the fan motor began failing , the waste wasn ’ t well ventilated and it got too damp , turning a happy composting process into a stinky rotting mess . So we all shared the remaining toilet for the rest of the mission , and the broken toilet was shut off and cleaned by hand . Actually , even when the toilets are operating well , they have to be regularly cleaned by hand . Team building exercises pale in comparison to the crew bond created by scooping out each other ’ s waste each week . Don ’ t let anyone tell you space research isn ’ t glamorous .
COURTESY OF Ansley Barnard Above , Barnard passed some of the time during the eight-month isolation singing and learning to play the ukulele . She practiced in the shop and storage area because it was the most sound isolated part of the small habitat . Below , the HI-SEAS habitat is located in a Mars-like setting on the slope of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii .
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COURTESY OF Ansley Barnard Sky ’ s Up