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HISEAS

So where exactly are we going?

The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HISEAS) is a site for research for a mission to Mars and/or space exploration in general. HISEAS is located on the sloped of the Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. The purpose of the HISEAS habitat is to study the human factors that will impact long duration space exploration. For example, factor such as crew composition, diet, behaviour, exercise, dynamics, roles, and performance are all research areas of interest at HISEAS.

During missions, crew members carry out day to day tasks akin to what astronauts will actually be doing on the surface of Mars - duties that include exploration of the volcanic field near the habitat, scientific experiments, and general day to day crew activities such as maintenance and exercise. To date, there have been six long duration HISEAS missions with the longest mission lasting one year. In between the longer missions, short duration missions like ours are carried out to examine specific research questions.

For more on HISEAS, go to their WEBSITE.