Sheyna Gifford Completes Year-Long Simulation of Mars Mission

While at UC Berkeley, Sheyna Gifford took a class co-sponsored by the campus and NASA called “Mars by 2012,” which she credits with sparking her desire to pursue space exploration

A report on the class from the Lunar and Planetary Institute states that students studied habitat design, space suits, environmental control, countermeasures to a decrease in gravity and crew size for a Mars mission. Then, the students were invited to attend a NASA conference and present their ideas and methodologies.“Nothing came of (the class), and we all went our separate ways, but … I kept trying to find a way to get to Mars and this was it. It took 18 years — half my life — but we designed it,” Gifford said. “The things we learned, the things we designed for this mission were half a lifetime in the making.”

During the HI-SEAS mission, Gifford served as the chief medical and safety officer and the crew journalist. According to Gifford, the crew’s preparation for the simulation included completing a National Outdoor Leadership School course together and learning how to operate the water, heating and power systems in the dome — then, they were left on their own.

Gifford’s preparation for the trip of a lifetime began with her class at UC Berkeley and ended when she stepped into the dome for the HI-SEAS mission. Though her years in research and graduate school made the mission a little easier, she said nothing could have fully prepared her for the experience.

“Space is about humanity and being the best possible human you can be,” Gifford said. “What people have to do is become better people — become your most generous, patient, gracious self — to survive in space. You have to become a better human. Otherwise, you aren’t going to make it.”

Read the full story here.