Scott Solomon

So this is kind of like a thing that people do when they're trying to understand what different aspects of space settlement might actually be like, is they create what are called analogs, basically a model that sort of replicates some aspect of a space environment, a space settlement in this case.

And then they put people inside and try to sort of understand what happens.

So...

This is the second one that they've done.

They did a full year already.

And this is the second full year study of people inside this kind of mock-up of a Mars habitat.

Yeah, I think a lot of what these analog studies try to get at, and is true of this study as well, is the psychology.

Because, of course, they can't replicate a lot of the physical conditions of being on Mars.

You know, there's one-third the Earth's gravity, right?

They're not simulating that.

There's probably going to be a lot higher radiation exposure in a Mars habitat, and they're not simulating that.

Excuse me.

So some of the things that they can simulate are, of course, being in a confined space, being in a area where you're limited to what you brought with you.

They're not able to kind of come and go and they're not able to bring new materials and supplies in or out.

And, you know, another big part of it is sort of the interaction between the crew members.

So what is it like to be, you know, more or less stuck with just the other three folks that you brought with you for an extended time period?

I really think they could make some reality TV shows out of these analogs because there's quite a few of these types of things that are in different places.

I went and visited one of them, actually, when I was researching my first book, which just touched on the idea of analogs.

how we might change in space.

And that was out in Utah.