Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School
Engineering Instructor Kristen Magas heads to NASA for HERA Mission!
On Friday, October 11, 2024 Tri-County held a "Send-Off" for Engineering Instructor Kristen Magas! Mrs. Magas is part of a NASA crew that will be performing a 45-day mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in The Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA). The mission will be a simulation of a trip to Mars and back again.
The HERA missions provide valuable scientific insights into how humans may respond to the confinement, demanding work-life conditions, and remote environments that astronauts may encounter on deep space missions. These insights help NASA prepare for humanity’s next giant leap to the Moon and Mars.
Mrs. Magas’s mission is C7M4, the fourth and final mission of Campaign seven. HERA Campaign 7 crew members participate in 18 human health and performance studies, seven of which are led by scientists from outside the United States. These international studies are in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre and the European Space Agency.
Throughout the simulation, the crew performs a variety of tasks. They harvest plants from a hydroponic garden, grow shrimp, deploy a small cube satellite to simulate data gathering, conduct a virtual reality “walk” on the surface of Mars, and fly simulated drones on the Martian terrain. These activities are designed to immerse the crew in the task-focused mindset of astronauts. NASA scientists then monitor HERA crew to assess how routine tasks, along with isolation and confinement, impact behavior and performance.
As their mission progresses, the team experiences longer communication delays with mission control, eventually reaching five-minute lags. This simulates the challenges astronauts might face on Mars, where delays could be up to 20 minutes. Scientists studying HERA crew are interested to see how this particular group builds independent, autonomous workflows, despite this communication delay.
Location: Johnson Space Center
Environment: Closed Habitat
Hazards Tested: Isolation, light and dark cycles, distance from Earth
Description: 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.
Research: Behavioral health and performance assessments, communication and autonomy studies, human factors evaluations, and medical capabilities assessments.
Mission Duration: 45 Days
Mr. Magas learned about the HERA facility when she participated in a NASA HUNCH teacher summit at JSC in June of 2023. When touring the facility, she was captivated by the simulated habitat and the research being done by the test crews and decided to apply to be a test subject. Magas progressed through a year-long screening process which culminated in two days of in-person screenings at JSC and an invitation to be a Prime Crew Member on HERA’s Campaign 7 Mission 4, which runs from 10/14/24-12/22/24, with confinement in the habitat happening 11/1 – 12/16.
Subject Requirements are:
- Four subjects per mission
- Single or mixed gender, goal is 50/50 male:female ratio
- Age 30 to 55 years
- Height limited to 74" maximum
- Technical skills proven through professional experience
- Advanced degree or equivalent years of experience
- Military experience
- Demonstrated motivation and work ethic that is “astronaut-like”
✓ Medically qualified with the NASA long-duration space flight physical.
✓ Psychological assessment for agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira
