Mission 40 in Habitat Marte is about SpaceX Habitat

It is Happening in Mars analog research station Habitat Marte, the 40^th mission from May 24^th and finishing May 30^th 2020. The 40^th mission is starting May 24^th and finishing May 30^th 2020. The 40^th edition presents participants from United States, Greece, Mexico, Austria, Poland and Brazil.

The members of the mission 40 are Eduardo Salazar (Mexico), Margarita Belali (Greece), Julio Rezende (Brazil), Victor Macedo (Brazil) and Davi Souza (Brazil). The mission presents James Canterbury (United States), Agnieszka Elwertowska (Poland) and Thomas Herzig (Austria) as invited researchers. The invited researchers will be participating in specific meetings. 

This virtual mission is about how would be the operation of SpaceX habitat in Mars. SpaceX is preparing the launch the first crewed Dragon Capsule to International Space Station-ISS. This test will be the first time when a private company will transport astronauts to space. This would be a very important moment of SpaceX history and more one step to future exploration of Moon and Mars by SpaceX.

A new adventure to manage future space habitats represents an opportunity to a new alternative point of view on it. The Mars analog research station Habitat Marte is proposing collaboration of a specialized crew to propose guidelines and collaboration to SpaceX on future space habitats in Mars.

The missions of Habitat Marte is highly based in research and operations related to sustainability of space habitats. During the mission is discussed operational and research issues related to management of space habitats, food production, sanitation (water supply, sewage and waste) and education.

Was observed that COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to carry out missions in Habitat Marte in person, considering the possibility of disease spreading if one of the participants be infected and transmit to other. In addition, respiratory allergies (runny nose and sneezing) that would occur during physical missions in Habitat Marte, could be seen as a symptom of coronavirus, generating a worry about.

Based in this scenario, a proposed innovation for the continuity of Habitat Marte were virtual missions. The last five missions have already taken place according to this methodology.

In virtual missions, participants are invited to operate in remote activities related to the Habitat Marte protocols and research themes associate to space and sustainability, observing how Habitat Marte would contribute to solutions related to isolation during the coronavirus times. We realized that the actions of Habitat Marte may present guidelines for this challenging moment.

In Brazil, in semiarid of Rio Grande do Norte State, is operating the Mars analog research station Habitat Marte. The station Habitat Marte is the only Mars analog habitat in operation in South hemisphere. Since December, 2017 just happened 39 missions with 1300 hours, 135 participants and 98 days. During the simulation missions, the analog astronauts follow protocols and routines of a space station. In Extravehicular Activities (EVA) are used spacesuits to simulate to be in Mars or Moon landscape.

More information in Twitter, Facebook and Youtube @HabitatMarte or www.HabitatMarte.com.