PREPARING FOR LIVING ON MARS
From June 2023 to June 2024, an interesting experiment was done in the city of Houston, Texas. The experiment was carried out by NASA, the American organization responsible for research and exploration in space. NASA has already successfully sent men to the moon. In about ten years, it plans to send people to live on the planet Mars. The goal of the Texas experiment was to help NASA prepare for this project.(lines 1–5)
The experiment took place inside a large warehouse. The floor was covered with red sand and rocks, so that it looked like the surface of Mars. In the middle was a small building called Mars Dune Alpha. This building had the same design as the homes NASA plans to build on Mars. For example, it had a laboratory and a gym. Mars Dune Alpha was built from sand and stone that are similar to the sand and stone on Mars. "NASA used these materials in order to be better prepared for building homes on Mars," says engineer Matt Rodway. "That's because it will be necessary to use the building materials that are found there. The ones used on Earth are too heavy to take to Mars."(lines 6–13)
Four volunteers, who got special training, stayed in Mars Dune Alpha for a year. During that time, they experienced the kind of life that people will have on Mars. For example, they worked in the laboratory, exercised at the gym, and grew their own food. Sometimes they were allowed to go for a walk outside the building. However, before they went out, they had to put on special spacesuits – just like the ones that people living on Mars will wear outside their homes.(lines 14–18)
NASA also wanted to find out how well the team coped with stress, so they sometimes created emergency situations. For example, an important piece of equipment in the building suddenly stopped working, and team members had to find a way to repair it quickly. Psychologists constantly checked how they dealt with such situations. "NASA will also collect this kind of data from future experiments," says psychologist Emma Ford. "And it will use this data to improve the training program for people who will go to live on Mars."(lines 19–24)