She Lived on Mars (sort of  )

The purpose of an analog mission is to learn how to make real space missions safe and successful. Analog missions are used to test technology, conduct experiments, and study the effects of space travel on humans.

The goal of Proctor’s mission was to study how astronauts might cook and eat in space. Proctor and her crewmates experimented with freeze-dried foods—foods that have had all the moisture sucked out of them so that they won’t go bad. Freeze-dried foods are a staple of astronauts’ diets because they last a long time and don’t take up a lot of room on spaceships.

But they didn’t just eat like astronauts. For the four months Proctor and her crewmates lived at the site, every aspect of their lives was meant to simulate life on Mars.

For example, they lived in a cramped dome similar to what a habitat on Mars would look like. (It was about the size of four school buses put together.) Each time they went outside, they put on a spacesuit. And they had no in-person contact with anyone outside the mission. They could send and receive messages from “Earth,” but they had to wait 20 minutes for each message to arrive—because that’s about how long it will take for messages to travel between Earth and Mars.

Proctor will tell you that being an analog astronaut is rewarding—but it isn’t easy. You need to be resilient, work well in a group, and stay calm under stress.

You also can’t get grossed out easily. Consider this: At times, each member of Proctor’s crew could only take two-minute showers twice a week. (Water on Mars will be scarce; not one drop can be wasted.) As a result, they had to get used to being a bit stinky.

So how do you become an analog astronaut? There are many paths. Proctor is a geologist and a college professor. Doctors, artists, engineers, and journalists have also gone on analog missions. After all, a future Mars society will need people to fill a variety of jobs.

You can even start training now.

“Living in space is all about being efficient with food, water, and energy,” says Proctor. “Start thinking about your electricity consumption and how you can be more efficient. How long are your showers? Can you do two minutes?”

Who knows?

One day you might get to use your training on a mission to Mars—maybe even the actual Mars.