Spaceflight analogs are any environment that produces the same or similar effects on humans as is experienced in actual spaceflight. NASA uses “analogs” to represent different aspects of spaceflight here on Earth. The Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is an analog for the isolated and confined living environment of a long-duration spaceflight mission, such as a mission to Mars.

Isolation and Confinement is one of the five identified risk categories. Researchers use the HERA to study how individuals and teams perform, interact, and maintain health during extended periods of isolation in a small volume with little privacy and variable workloads, which can increase stress. Each HERA campaign consists of four identical missions with four crewmembers per mission. Lasting 45-days, each mission simulates transit to/from Mars plus a short period of orbital operations around Mars.

What should I know about the HERA habitat?
The HERA habitat is about the size of a one-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen/galley, a multi-use table for dining, entertainment, and working, a bathroom, four sleeping bunks, exercise space, a small airlock, and laboratory/workspace.

The crews stay busy from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. most days as they perform science experiments, robotics and Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) simulations, habitat systems maintenance and housekeeping, exercise, and research data and biological sample collections.

The mission also includes simulating a delay in communication with the Earth-based Mission Control Center (MCC) that increases the closer they get to Mars, with a maximum of five minutes for radio calls to reach MCC (10-minute roundtrip). On a real Mars mission, communication delays could be up to 22 minutes one-way depending on Mars’ position in orbit relative to Earth.

HERA Campaign 8 involves a simulated mission to Earth’s Moon. While crews are on their missions, they will be test subjects for several scientific studies that are being carefully developed by researchers from NASA and universities across the United States.

Studies within HERA will focus on the following themes:

• Crew autonomy with communication delays | On the International Space Station, astronauts have near-constant communication with mission control for guidance. However, Moon and Mars missions will involve communication delays, requiring crews to work more independently. Studies in HERA may focus on testing “smart” technologies, like augmented reality and artificial intelligence, to see how they can be optimized to assist crews in making decisions and solving problems during future deep-space journeys.
• Behavioral health and physiological effects of isolation and confinement | Spaceflight isolates crews from Earth, with limited sensory stimulation and exercise opportunities. Studies in HERA examine how this isolated environment affects physical and mental health. They also explore ways to counter any effects, such as enhancing exercise with sensory stimulation or other motivators.
• Teamwork | Cooperation is key to NASA’s missions, which often have crews from many national backgrounds. Studies in HERA can examine how cultural and linguistic differences affect team dynamics, communication, and performance in isolated, high-stress environments, aiming to improve teamwork across missions.
• Sleep Quality and Performance | Sleep quality is essential for astronaut performance. Studies in HERA examine how sleep affects cognitive function, mood, and physical performance, with crewmembers journaling their sleep patterns and their impact. The goal is to find strategies to improve sleep quality and manage disruptions on long-duration missions.

We recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, landing the first human on the surface of the moon. Following Apollo was the Space Shuttle program with the primary goal of constructing the International Space Station where crews have been working and living in space since 2000. Our new program, Artemis, is named for the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. Artemis is also the twin sister of Apollo. With Artemis we will venture beyond Low Earth Orbit, establish a sustainable presence on the moon and prepare for a journey to Mars.

The environment of space presents numerous challenges to human travelers. Exploration class missions will expose crews to a variety of hazards which NASA has identified and grouped into five primary categories including: changes in gravity fields, radiation, hostile environments, isolation and confinement, and distance from Earth. To venture beyond Low Earth Orbit, we must understand these risks to human physiology and develop methods to protect our most precious cargo – our crew.

To advance the goals of human space exploration, NASA continuously addresses the problem of keeping astronauts healthy in the closed environment of a space vehicle and surface habitats by developing innovative practices and technologies. Although we have gained an incredible amount of information from living and working on the ISS, there are still many questions to be answered. Investigating these questions in space has provided invaluable information but has practical limitations.

One consideration is cost. It is currently estimated that the cost of sending one pound of cargo to space is approximately $10,000. Cargo for even simple experiments conducted on station must be limited in both mass and volume.

Another issue is time. The ISS crew schedules are packed with both conducting experiments and maintaining the ISS. In addition, the number of crew who can be studied while in space is very low. Because of these and other challenges, NASA has developed other methods, including analog studies.

Mission patches are emblems designed and worn by astronauts and people affiliated with a mission. The patches depict an image associated with the mission and generally lists the names of the crew. Every expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) has a unique patch. Mission patches have been worn by NASA astronauts since 1965. The four HERA crews will develop a patch to represent their specific mission. NASA would like to have a student-designed patch that is representative of the HERA Campaign 7 missions and objectives.

About Analog Missions | NASA

Mission Patch | NASA

Symbols of NASA | NASA