Emirati pilot Shareef AlRomaithi begins NASA’s simulated MARS journey

Emirati pilot Shareef AlRomaithi begins NASA’s simulated MARS journey

Shareef AlRomaithi was joined by his fellow primary crew members Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, and Piyumi Wijesekara embark on a 45-day mission within the HERA facility.

Dubai: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) today announced the commencement of phase two of the second analog study under the UAE Analog Programme, with Emirati crew member Shareef AlRomaithi entering the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, USA at 2am (UAE time) on Saturday.

AlRomaithi was joined by his fellow primary crew members Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, and Piyumi Wijesekara, as they embarked on the 45-day mission within the HERA facility. The alternate crew members for this mission are Jose Baca and Brandon Kent. The unique three-story habitat simulates space-like conditions on Earth, designed to study how crew members adapt to isolation, confinement, and remote conditions similar to those they would face on long-duration space missions.

Throughout their simulated journey in HERA, the team will engage in scientific research and operational tasks. This mission on Earth includes a virtual reality “walk” on Mars’s surface and managing increasing communication delays with Mission Control Center as they simulate nearing Mars. The crew is scheduled to leave the