Black lava rocks dominate much of the landscape in certain areas of the island of Hawaii. This alien landscape is what makes Hawaii an ideal location for a mock Mars mission.
The area surrounding Kona International Airport on the island of Hawaii isn’t necessarily a tropical paradise. The ground looks like it was recently scorched by fire — there is no soil or dirt, just made of black, crusty rock. Almost no vegetation grows there, except for pale yellow tufts of grass that manage to spring up between the cracks.
While “lush” isn’t exactly a word that describes this landscape, it’s still beautiful and fascinating. This black crusty rock is, of course, the cooled lava that created this island chain .
I don’t know if some travelers are disappointed when they see this burnt landscape, but it is an extremely fitting start for my trip here. I’ve arrived in Hawaii to see six people emerge from a year-long mission of isolation that is meant to imitate what it might be like for humans to live on another planet , like Mars.
This is the end of the fourth and longest isolation mission to take place in Hawaii as part of a program called HI-SEAS (Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation). The habitat where the crew have been living for a year (with limited contact to the outside world) is on the slopes of Mauna Loa, one of the active volcanos on the island, and the barren landscape has a distinctly Martian vibe.
The crew can’t go outside, except during science excusions, when they have to wear space suits. They have access to email and can talk to the Mission Specialists “back on Earth,” but only with a 20-minute delay. These people have been just a few miles from paradise, but for the last year they might as well have been on Mars.
Later today (Aug. 28) the crew will exit the habitat, eat some fresh food for the first time in twelve months, and then talk with members of press about their experience. Seeing and hearing how those people coped with that exhausting psychological exercise will illustrate just how harsh this landscape can be.
Editor’s note: Calla Cofield is visiting Hawaii and the HI-SEAS mock Mars habitate on a trip paid for by the National Geographic Channel’s “Mars” miniseries.
Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield .Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com .
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