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The journey of Juice – episode 1
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By NASA
NASA’s HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) crew members enjoy their first glimpse of the outside after a 45-day stay inside the analog environment. From left to right: Sergii Iakymov, Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, Erin Anderson, and Brandon Kent.NASA/Bill Stafford An all-volunteer crew on a simulated trip to Mars “returned” to Earth on Sept. 23, 2024, after being isolated in a tiny habitat at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Their work is contributing to the science that will propel humanity to the Moon and eventually Mars.
The HERA missions provide valuable scientific insights into how humans may respond to the confinement, demanding work-life conditions, and remote environments that astronauts may encounter on deep space missions. These insights help NASA prepare for humanity’s next giant leap to the Moon and Mars.
Campaign 7 Mission 3 started when HERA operations lead Ted Babic rang the bell outside the habitat 10 times, a ceremonial send-off wishing the crew a safe and successful simulated mission to Mars. Seven rings honored the campaign, and three more signaled the mission—continuing a long-standing tradition.
At ingress, Anderson, a structural engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, told HERA’s mission control, “We’re going to take good care of this ship of yours on our journey.”
The HERA crew members wave goodbye to friends, family, and support staff before entering the analog environment on Aug. 9, 2024.NASA/James Blair Life on a 45-Day Journey
The HERA crew members participated in 18 human health and performance studies, seven of which were led by scientists from outside the United States. These international studies are in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre and the European Space Agency.
HERA crew members inside the analog environment at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. From left: Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, Brandon Kent, Erin Anderson, and Sergii Iakymov.NASA/Bill Stafford Throughout the simulation, the crew performed a variety of tasks. They harvested plants from a hydroponic garden, grew shrimp, deployed a small cube satellite to simulate data gathering, conducted a virtual reality “walk” on the surface of Mars, and flew simulated drones on the Martian terrain. These activities are designed to immerse the crew in the task-focused mindset of astronauts. NASA scientists then monitor HERA crew to assess how routine tasks, along with isolation and confinement, impact behavior and performance.
As their mission progressed, the team experienced longer communication delays with mission control, eventually reaching five-minute lags. This simulates the challenges astronauts might face on Mars, where delays could be up to 20 minutes. Scientists studying HERA crew are interested to see how this particular group builds independent, autonomous workflows, despite this communication delay.
Here are some snapshots of crew activities:
McCandless holds a skeletal framework of a Mars rover. She is wearing augmented reality glasses that allow her to project various scientific hardware as holograms. The final product will be a Mars rover that she ‘built’ herself. NASA Kent and Anderson, seen through an airlock window separating rooms inside HERA, conduct a virtual reality EVA on the Mars surface. NASA McCandless analyzes geological samples inside HERA’s glove box. Throughout the HERA mission, samples are “collected” on Mars during mock extravehicular activities. NASA/James Blair Anderson holds her coffee cup as she climbs the ladder connecting the first and second floors inside HERA.NASA Kent examines a petri dish for storing swabs of microbes. He and fellow crew members swab surfaces around HERA, then wait a few days to examine any microbes that grow in the dishes. Iakymov examines water quality and temperature in a tank that holds a few triops shrimp that he and his crewmates raised.NASA McCandless and Anderson work out on HERA’s second floor. They are holding power blocks, dumbbells equipped with weights that can adjust to a maximum of 35 pounds. The blocks take up less space than a set of regular dumbbells, helping to save space in the tiny habitat.NASA All crew members brought books to accompany them on their journey to the Red Planet, while Kent left behind letters for his two daughters to open each day.
McCandless also brought letters from loved ones, along with Legos, her favorite card game, and a vintage iPod.
Iakymov, an aerospace engineer with more than 15 years of experience in research and design, is carrying postcards and photos of family and friends.
Anderson, who describes herself as a massive space nerd, brought extra socks and “The Never Ending Story,” a book she has cherished throughout her life.
The crew all shared appreciation for being part of a mission that contributes to the aspirations of future human space exploration travel.
The crew holds up varieties of lettuce grown in hydroponic units inside HERA. NASA Returning to Earth
As the mission neared its end, McCandless and Anderson participated in a Groundlink—a live session connecting them with middle school students in a classroom in Coconut Grove, Florida, and in Olathe, Kansas. Groundlinks provide a unique opportunity for students to engage directly with crew members and learn about the realities of long-duration missions.
The students asked the crew about life inside the habitat, the challenges of isolation, and what it might be like to live on Mars. They were also curious about the crew’s favorite foods and activities. McCandless shared her love for cheddar crisps and freeze-dried Pad Thai and proudly showed off favorite sports teams from her home state of Kansas, much to the cheers of the crowd. Anderson displayed the massive collection of comics and fantasy books that she read inside the habitat.
In the late afternoon of Sept. 23, 2024, the crew egressed from HERA, marking the end of their 45-day simulated mission to Mars. After stepping out of the habitat, the crew expressed gratitude for the opportunity and reflected on the mission’s significance.
“Following our safe passage to Mars, and our safe return to Earth, as the crew of Campaign 7, Mission 3, we hereby officially transfer this exploration vessel to the flight analogs operations team,” said Kent. “We hope this vessel continues to serve as a safe home for future HERA crews.”
Want to Participate in HERA?
NASA is actively seeking healthy, non-smoking volunteers, aged 30 to 55, for future HERA missions. Volunteers, who will be compensated for their participation, must pass a physical and psychological assessment to qualify.
For those inspired to take part in this groundbreaking research, opportunities to join future HERA missions await:
https://analogstudies.jsc.nasa.gov
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:04:29 Watch the second episode of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission – Europe’s ambitious exploration journey to search for past and present signs of life on Mars.
This episode starts with Rosalind searching for traces of life below the martian surface using a ground penetrating radar and a set of cameras.
The rover will dig, collect, and investigate the chemical composition of material collected by a drill. Rosalind Franklin will be the first rover to reach a depth of up to two metres deep below the surface, acquiring samples that have been protected from surface radiation and extreme temperatures.
Rosalind Franklin uses the WISDOM radar to help scientists on Earth decide where to drill. Besides identifying the most promising targets for sampling, WISDOM will help the rover avoid potential hazards, such as the presence of buried rocks that could damage the drill.
The scientific eyes of the rover are set on the Panoramic Camera suite known as PanCam. The Close-UP Imager (CLUPI) sits on the side of the drill box, a camera designed to acquire high-resolution, colour, close-up images of outcrops, rocks and soils. PanCam and CLUPI will help scientists find the most promising spots to drill. These instruments can also investigate very fine outcrop details and image drill samples before they are sent into the rover’s laboratory.
After the rover retracts its drill, the sample is in a special chamber at the tip. Under the reduced martian gravity (38% of Earth’s), the material drops onto a special “hand” that the rover can extend to the front to collect drill samples.
The mission will serve to demonstrate key technologies that Europe needs to master for future planetary exploration missions.
The ExoMars rover series show the rover and martian landscapes as true to reality as possible for a simulation.
Check ESA’s ExoMars website and our frequently asked questions for the latest updates.
Credits: ESA
Production: Mlabspace for ESA
3D animation: ESA/Mlabspace
Music composed by Valentin Joudrier
Watch all the videos from the ExoMars Rosalind Frankin mission series.
Access the related broadcst quality video material.
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:01:23 On 19–20 August 2024, Juice successfully completed a world-first lunar-Earth flyby, with flight controllers guiding the spacecraft first past the Moon, then past Earth. The gravity of the two changed Juice’s speed and direction, sending it on a shortcut to Jupiter via Venus.
The closest approach to the Moon was at 23:15 CEST on 19 August, deflecting Juice towards a closest approach to Earth just over 24 hours later at 23:56 CEST on 20 August. In the hours before and after both close approaches, Juice’s two monitoring cameras captured photos, giving us a unique ‘Juice eye view’ of our home planet.
Juice’s two monitoring cameras provide black-and-white snapshots in 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution (they can be processed in colour). Their main purpose is to monitor the spacecraft’s various booms and antennas, especially during the challenging period after launch. The photos they captured of the Moon and Earth during the lunar-Earth flyby are a bonus.
The piece of music that accompanies the images is called 11,2 km/s. It was composed by Gautier Archer back in 2015, and selected as the official theme music for ESA’s Estrack ground station network to mark its 40th anniversary (more information). The music is available under a CC BY-NC-SA licence.
Juice rerouted to Venus in world’s first lunar-Earth flyby
Juice’s lunar-Earth flyby: all you need to know
Processing notes: The Juice monitoring cameras provide 1024 x 1024 pixel images. Upscaling software was used to convert the images into 2160 x 2160 pixel images, which match the 3480 x 2160 pixel resolution of the 4K movie format.
Access the related broadcast quality footage.
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By European Space Agency
Since ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) flew by the Moon and Earth earlier this week, we’ve seen images from its monitoring cameras and we’ve seen images from its navigation camera. Today we reveal the first images from its scientific camera, JANUS, designed to take detailed, high-resolution photos of Jupiter and its icy moons.
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By European Space Agency
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) has successfully completed a world-first lunar-Earth flyby, using the gravity of Earth to send it Venus-bound, on a shortcut to Jupiter through the inner Solar System.
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