Red Planet ‘guinea pig’ gives an inside look into gruelling mission

After spending a year with five strangers, locked inside a dome for NASA’s simulated Mars mission, Tristan knows a thing or two about isolation and loneliness.

Source: University Of Hawaii

I'd always wanted to go into space, it was the dream job as a kid right after I decided astronaut was cooler than ninja, so when given the chance to live on a simulated Mars mission for a year, I of course took it.

The goal of the HI-SEAS missions was to refine our understanding of community and teamwork in a confined and isolated environment. For me it was a year of pretending I was in space and getting to be part of a crew. With several missions testing different crew compositions, our social and psychological data will go towards helping NASA pick crews most likely to succeed on a real mission to Mars.

Part of my desire to join the crew was of course to contribute what I could to such an endeavour, but also just shear curiosity. I was working on my graduate research, architecture for extreme environments, and thought ... why not? Additionally, as a grad student at the time the free rent was appealing. I didn't even hesitate. And I mean who doesn't want to play at being an astronaut? I didn't think I'd get in as I'm not a scientist or engineer, but to my surprise, I went from not knowing HI-SEAS existed to being locked up on a mountain in the space of about four months!

Tristan during his training. Source: Supplied

I was pretty excited to start the mission really, I knew there would be stress and hard times, loneliness, I'd studied this area for well over a year so my brain knew what was going to happen. Experiencing it is something else of course, when you find out the brain doesn't know as much as it thinks it does. The first few weeks were not bad at all, given that it's such a fresh new thing, and you certainly feel the responsibility to do your best for the mission. But as time drags on and things begin feeling typical, the grating passage of the hours definitely made itself felt. This expanse of time only becomes exacerbated as family and friends start going about their daily lives and forget to write you. After all, you're just one person who disappeared for a bit, but for you the whole world vanished, then starts to forget you were there.

During the year we were not allowed outside without suits, and no real-time communications. This meant no seeing other people for the entire year. I had delayed email, but no phone, no internet, no television, very delayed news, and perhaps every three months a letter or care package on a supply drop from ‘Earth’. The lack of sun and wind is a constant, quiet absence, and you can either dwell or try to do something to care for yourself. Art, music, reading, inventing pizza cupcakes, exercise - it all helps. There are plenty of times where the environment is just being hard on you, and in those moments it's up to you to be the one who's kind to yourself. For us, that was going through the paperwork to do an extravehicular activity (EVA) and explore the mountain. You're still in a very uncomfortable suit, but moving around is its own reward. And the lava tubes and skylights, that was some incredible terrain. Really felt like a whole other world.

Applying the lessons I learnt then, to today

I think one of the biggest lessons I took away from the experience for handling loneliness or isolation is to try and be proactive about it.

Pizza cupcakes ... turns out they are a thing. Source: Supplied

Have a long afternoon? Know that you're not the only one feeling that and go send a bunch of emails to people, call old friends, teach grandma what a “meme” is. But try not to stew and sink into the morass of this whole situation. What's something you could do to take care of yourself? Don't feel guilty, just do it, whether it's productive or hedonistic. And don't compare your situation, or reaction to the isolation, to anyone else. Even in the dome we all reacted to everything in our own ways, and if self-care is working on a comic or pranking family or sleeping in your yard each afternoon....enjoy it.

It's true that these are trying times, but it's also maybe the only time things will be like this in our lives. Take the opportunity to make the best of it, and enjoy those naps.