Overview of Activities: ARES-III and LEARN Analog Missions in the LunAres Hab

Abstract

Progress is being made on human Lunar and Martian missions by space agencies and private organisations around the world, with the aims of establishing reliable long-duration architectures. Complementing this, research is being carried out under controlled and isolated conditions within simulated space habitats, to gain insights into the effects of such conditions on the research subjects and their impacts on crews’ wellbeing and success. This paper provides an overview of the experiments conducted during two separate 15-day missions—one Martian and one Lunar—conducted in the LunAres Research Base in Piła, Poland, in 2018. Some activities were common between the two crews; others were only carried out by one. Using the same methodology, both collected cognitive function, environmental, physiological, and inventory data, resulting in a larger dataset allowing comparisons between the two missions in terms of varying human factors. Experiments conducted by the Lunar crew included the following: effects of consuming lyophilised food on oral health and saliva production, influence of isolation on hearing capability, feelings on security in the isolated habitat, and research into earthworm growth in different soil compositions. The Mars mission analysed physical performances of the crew and compared them to performances realised during similar activities in Mars Research Desert Station missions and the impact of confinement on their efficiency performing a remote operation of a rover. For each piece of research, an overview of the background, methodology, results, and conclusions is given, referencing the resulting papers. In addition, nonresearch activities are included for completeness and context.