Society Track: Tim Evans, Grand Valley State University, Biology: “Houston, we have a botanist! My 45-day simulated space mission at NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA)"

During the summer of 2017, I spent 45 days as a test subject in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  During this time, my crew of four people remained in isolation within a high-fidelity analog spacecraft, simulating a deep space mission to an asteroid.  The purpose of the mission (as well as other analog space missions) was to learn about various physical, psychological, and social factors that result from long-term confinement and isolation.  By understanding human responses to these environments, NASA will be better able to predict and mitigate adverse responses during deep space missions.  In this presentation, I will discuss my experience in HERA, describing some of the daily activities and my own responses to the unique conditions in this analog.