MAUI, HAWAII — A team of scientists have finally returned to civilization after completing a NASA-funded isolation experiment to simulate life on Mars. <br /> <br />NASA reports that the six-person HI-SEAS Mission V crew lived in a dome on the Mars-like landscape of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano for eight months. <br /> <br />The dome was equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, common area, and six individual bedrooms. Though not confined to the inside, the crew were required to don spacesuits whenever they went outside. <br /> <br />While in the habitat, the crew conducted scientific research, equipment testing, and resource tracking. They also had to learn to prepare food using dehydrated and shelf-stable ingredients. <br /> <br />Communications with the outside were subject to a delay of 20 minutes — the same amount of time it takes for signals to reach Mars from Earth. <br /> <br />To better understand the psychological impacts of a long-term space mission, they were fitted with sensors that gauged their moods and monitored interactions with other members. <br /> <br />The mission is the fifth in a series of six studies designed to help NASA select crews that can do well on an expedition to the red planet. The sixth and final HI-SEAS mission will also last for eight months and is slated to begin in January 2018.
