It’s another edition of The Virtual Space Experience. This time, instead of video games like Star Trek Online, the subject is the actual training that astronauts are undergoing in the one place on Earth that’s most like the Red Planet Mars . . . the continent Antarctica.
Antarctica is the seventh, most remote, desolate, and sparsely populated continent on earth. It has few residents living there, and it’s not for an entire year at a time.
Predominately, the population consists of researchers and military personnel from many countries all sharing the continent for the predominant sake of scientific research, not unlike the intent of deep space and planetary travel.
A reality of spaceflight and eventual travel to distant worlds is the isolation. Isolated from friends, family, going outside without space suits, limited supply of food, confined spaces (habitat buildings and space craft) and no immediate access to the internet and televised media.
On Mars, it also takes 22 minutes for radio communication signals to be sent to and from earth, meaning that it takes almost 45 minutes to say “Hello” and hear a responding “Hello”!
Also the greatest reality is the lack of immediate medical care should an illness or injury develop unless a doctor is coming along. This of course doesn’t count on it taking 9 months just to get to Mars when both Earth and the Red Planet are at their closest points to each other, and then having to wait another 18 months to take a similar 9 month trip back to Earth.
NASA and the National Space Foundation (NSF) have joined forces to perform studies to observe and analyze those that live and work in the Polar Climate. It’s called Isolation, Confinement, and Extreme Environment (or ICE) testing.
As a note, most people who stay and work in Antarctica are scientists and work there for only portions of the year due to the extreme conditions (e.g. months of sun and then dark, and temperatures that are either as high as 26 deg-F down to -100 deg F).
So how does a future space and planetary explorer cope with the harsh realities of ICE conditions?
I read one astronaut say it greatly helps to exercise, have hobbies, saving care packages to be opened later at random times, reading, using recreation rooms and socializing with others at the Antarctic stations McMurdo, Cascadia, and nearly 70 other stations at the South Pole and other parts of Antarctica.
It’s interesting to see human beings look to simple things to keep themselves occupied when venturing out and exploring in a way the world has never done.
Not unlike the NASA astronauts training in Antarctica, the pioneers travelling the Oregon Trail or other routes often found themselves doing similar things to keep themselves emotionally centered.
Also, the more people made these journeys, it spurred on technology improvements to make communication quicker and more efficient such as the legendary telegraph. traveling longer distances faster, meaning quicker access to quality food, medical treatment, social interactions, and entertainment that we all take for granted.
With eventual missions to Mars happening, the steps being taken right now by NASA and the NSF will help get the ball rolling for exploration and when it happens the rest of the world will come together to find newer, greater, and more-efficient ways to make travel to and from other planets more tolerable, and most importantly the quality of life for those staying on the Planets’ surfaces.
Neil Armstrong once said that all great societies and people become greater through exploration. Why is that? Because it inspires innovation to make it easier to travel those distances and retain the ease and efficiency we already have achieved through similar past efforts.
Without Western Expansion in America’s frontier days, there would not be the inspiration to build and advance the Railroad system or develop the telegraph. Both were used in the year 1869 when the world’s first Transcontinental Railroad was completed with the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, UT.
(NOTE: I lived 30 miles from there, and worked for Orbital ATK just 5 miles away on NASA SLS rocket avionics. The irony of it all. 🙂 )
Without routine ocean travel, there would not have been the inspiration to develop steam and fuel-powered ships to make point-to-point sailing travel definite (and overcome concerns of wind patterns being too much or too little).
Same holds true for the Antarctic scientific habitations, bases, and active research going on. In 1962, US Navy Seabees build and installed the first and only Nuclear Power Plant to power the base at McMurdo Sound.
With a reactor no bigger than an oil drum, the purpose was to not only efficiently power the station but perhaps look at long-term power needs for a future outpost on the Moon or distant planet. The Nuclear Plant was closed in 1971 in favor of a conventional steam-powered energy plant, and the greatest legacy being radioactive soil contamination from the Uranium fuels used. Even so, the concept was tested in this remote location to look at feasible methods to provide energy to remote star locations.
Presently, scientists from NSF and NASA are conducting environmental tests along with research of both wildlife, geology, and weather patterns. Until distant planets can be confirmed to hold forms of life, the research methods used to identify and study them are being used and developed further.
As for atmospheric conditions, Antarctica can experience 6 months of sun and 6 months of winter due to earth’s slightly tipped axis which can cause temperature extremes to be as high as a balmy +20 deg-F and as brutally low as -100 deg-F. These are temperature extremes not unlike neighbor planet Mars (howbeit a breathable atmosphere).
If there was a location that could help astronauts prepare for Red Planet visits, Antarctica is the best place on earth. When looking for new work back in July 2016, Lockheed Martin had an opening for an Antarctic engineering position. I didn’t take it, but it’s indicative of opportunities to go visit this location and have a once in a lifetime (or more if you really like) to visit the greatest frozen desert on Earth.
To learn more, please visit these NASA LIMA and NSF sites.
For the Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski! 🙂
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