10 ? s
Left, Ansley
Barnard
served as
engineering
officer for
HI-SEAS
Mission V
from January
to September
in 2017.
Opposite
page, Barnard
sits in an EVA
suit near the
solar panels
that power
the habitat.
To stay true to
the simulation
experience,
crew members
had to wear
EVA suits any
time that
they ventured
outside of the
dome.
In this recurring feature,
Sky’s Up gives students
the opportunity to ask
10 Questions to leading
astronomers, space
explorers, scientists and
cosmologists.
o o o
The questions for
this installment were
submitted by students
at Bellaire High School in
Bellaire, Texas.
12
2
Extended simulation gives engineer insight
into challenges of crewed mission to Mars
that will be encountered during an extended mission to Mars.
The geodesic habitat has a ground floor with 878 square feet of
usable space that incorporates a kitchen, dining area, common
workspace, exercise area, a lab and a bathroom with a shower.
It also includes a loft of just over 400 square feet that houses six
separate sleeping chambers and a half bath. During her mission,
which ran from January to September in 2017, Barnard shared
the compact space with five other crewmembers.
“I learned so much from my crew mates about facing conflict
in healthier ways and finding joy in a simple life,” Barnard said.
“Since my return, I’ve found myself peeling away from social
media and constant electronic companionship. HI-SEAS was a sort
of social detox. I’m more focused on treating my body well with
exercise, hydration and sleep – these simple things make a huge
difference in stress tolerance and overall comfort.”
Since emerging from the habitat, Barnard has been working
on publishing a paper based on her research during the mission
while channeling the “collaborative and experimental” experience
of HI-SEAS into rediscovering her passion for the arts and creative
hobbies. While she still hopes to make it into space one day, for
now, she is enjoying “reconnecting with her Earthly life.”
In this installment of 10 Questions, Barnard discusses the impact
of the HI-SEAS project and the challenges of living and working in
an isolated habitat.
Sky ’ s
Up
During my bachelor’s degree in engineering, I learned a little about analog missions and knew that
I wanted to participate in one. I always feel most satisfied when I’m training for a goal and improving
myself in some way. I regularly challenge myself to try things like using less water or making less
garbage, just to see if I can. I also hope to visit space someday and wanted to prove to myself that I
had what it takes to complete a similar mission. HI-SEAS accepts applications online periodically. The
selection process itself is currently being researched, but I can say that it’s important to have some
diversity and also some complimentary personal preferences with the rest of the crew.
How were you able to create a realistic Martian environment in a
habitat on Earth? Were you able to simulate Mars having a weaker
gravitational constant? What were the main differences in the HI-
SEAS experience as opposed to an actual mission to Mars?
Realism is a tricky concept in an analog mission because we never will, and in many cases do not
need, to get everything the same as Mars. We aren’t able to simulate Martian gravity at HI-SEAS,
neither do we ever forget that the air outside the habitat is breathable. Since we largely focus on
the psychological and emotional challenges facing astronauts in isolation, we can accept limitations
on the unrelated physical conditions. My mission focused on how astronaut crews are selected to
be successful in isolation for a long time. So it was most important that the habitat was remotely
located in a desolate environment and there was no direct interaction with people outside the crew.
There were 20-minute communication delays to simulate the journey a message takes between
Earth to Mars.
COURTESY OF
Ansley Barnard
Close encounter
At 13 years old, Ansley Barnard watched a tragedy unfold as
the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during its re-entry on
February 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
“Rather than feeling frightened, I started to wonder what was
worth these folks risking their lives to learn,” Barnard recalls.
“Shortly after, I told my dad I wanted to be an astronaut, and
apparently confided in him my worry that my mom wouldn’t let
me go into space, but he helped me research the requirements
anyway and set me on a path to study aerospace engineering in
college.”
In 2012, Barnard graduated from the University of Washington
with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical
engineering and an impressive resume that already featured
posts at NASA.
Although she has not yet made it into space, Barnard recently
wrapped up an eight-month stint as the engineering officer for
Mission V of HI-SEAS — an analog project that will likely play a
crucial role in eventually launching a crewed mission to Mars.
Operated by the University of Hawai’I at Mánoa and funded
by NASA, the HI-SEAS program involves installing crews for
extended duration Mars mission simulations in an isolated
habitat positioned on a desolate slope of the Mauna Loa volcano
in Hawaii. The purpose of the missions is to study crew dynamics
and behaviors while researching some of the critical challenges
1
What inspired you to pursue this project, and how did you get
selected to go on this mission?
Sky ’ s
Up
COURTESY OF Ansley Barnard
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