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HERA

NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog

Active Mission

Overview

What is HERA?

Experience

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How to Apply

HERA is a unique 650-square-foot habitat split among two floors and a loft, designed to serve as an analog for isolation, confinement, and remote conditions in exploration scenarios.

Location

Houston, Texas

Environment

Closed Environment

HAZARDS

Isolation and Confinement

Mission Duration

Up to 45 Days

NASA Selects Crew for Next Simulated Mars Mission

NASA selected a crew of four volunteers to participate in a simulated journey to Mars inside a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. 

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HERA C7M1
NASA has selected a crew of four for the next NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog mission, a simulated trip to Mars. From left are Kamak Ebadi, Susan Hilbig, Abhishek Bhagat, and Ariana Lutsic.
Credit: NASA

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Stay up-to-date with the latest news from HERA
NASA Research Volunteers to Begin Next Simulated Mission to Mars
7 min read

NASA selected a new team of four research volunteers to participate in a simulated mission to Mars within HERA (Human…

Article
Mission Success: HERA Crew Successfully Completes 45-Day Simulated Journey to Mars 
5 min read

Four dedicated explorers—Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi, and Piyumi Wijesekara—just returned from a 45-day simulated journey to Mars, testing…

Article
From Psychology to Space: Alexandra Whitmire’s Journey and Impact in NASA’s Human Research Program
5 min read

From navigating the depths of the human mind to exploring the vastness of space, Dr. Alexandra (Sandra) Whitmire helps lead…

Article

Media

10 Images
HERA crew member Pietro Di Tillio prepares a mix of freeze-dried veggies, which participants must ration throughout simulated Mars missions.
HERA crew member Jared Broddrick performs a resistive exercise during a workout session on a simulated Mars mission.
HERA crew member Monique Garcia watches her spacecraft ?launch? on a monitor during a simulated mission to Mars.
Inside Campaign 6 of NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, crew member Lauren Cornell dons a pair of augmented reality goggles for one of her mission tasks.
HERA crew member Monique Garcia holds a device for measuring the size of shrimp raised in the habitat that NASA uses to help simulate missions to Mars.
HERA crew member Christopher Roberts rides an indoor bicycle inside a tiny habitat that NASA uses to help simulate missions to Mars.
HERA crew members Dragos Michael Popescu and Pietro Di Tillio wear headsets to coordinate with others on a simulated Mars mission with communication delays.
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