theatlantic: Alexis Madrigal Ponders The Many Ways You Can Pretend to Be an Astronaut NASA needs a few good volunteers to hole up in Hawaii for 180 days and try out the food that prospective travelers to Mars might eat. It may sound crazy, but it’s one of many “analog” experiments that NASA and our Russian counterparts run to get a handle on the impacts of space travel. Before we go zipping off across the solar system, we need to know how our bodies and minds might fare under the stresses of strange food and zero-gravity. Luckily, there is no shortage of people willing to pretend to be astronauts for a little while, subjecting themselves to experiments that come with real physical risks and that make equally real contributions to off-world science. And there are even more people who want to help NASA out in other ways, too.  Read more. Things we love about this story: Astro Alexis and his space ‘stache “We can’t all be Buzz Aldrin, but nothing can keep you from being an astronaut in the solar system of your mind!” Everything else

theatlantic:

Alexis Madrigal Ponders The Many Ways You Can Pretend to Be an Astronaut

NASA needs a few good volunteers to hole up in Hawaii for 180 days and try out the food that prospective travelers to Mars might eat.

It may sound crazy, but it’s one of many “analog” experiments that NASA and our Russian counterparts run to get a handle on the impacts of space travel. Before we go zipping off across the solar system, we need to know how our bodies and minds might fare under the stresses of strange food and zero-gravity.

Luckily, there is no shortage of people willing to pretend to be astronauts for a little while, subjecting themselves to experiments that come with real physical risks and that make equally real contributions to off-world science. And there are even more people who want to help NASA out in other ways, too. 

Read more.

Things we love about this story:

  • Astro Alexis and his space ‘stache
  • “We can’t all be Buzz Aldrin, but nothing can keep you from being an astronaut in the solar system of your mind!”
  • Everything else
2 months ago
  1. kellylauderdale reblogged this from theatlantic
  2. nf-bj reblogged this from theatlantic
  3. butterflysupernova reblogged this from theatlantic
  4. horsepoet6 reblogged this from theatlantic
  5. platonicbones reblogged this from letsdolaunch
  6. fascinatedbydinosaurs reblogged this from letsdolaunch
  7. letsdolaunch reblogged this from postcardsfromspace and added:
    Madrigal Ponders The Many Ways You Can Pretend to Be...Astronaut NASA needs a few good...
  8. postcardsfromspace reblogged this from asonlynasacan
  9. asonlynasacan reblogged this from ifuckinglovespace
  10. ifuckinglovespace reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    For any of you wanting to at least pretend to have the greatest job off this planet.
  11. tinyvolcanicmoon reblogged this from theatlantic
  12. themissourireview reblogged this from theatlantic
  13. deepbluanything reblogged this from theatlantic
  14. sarahstocracy reblogged this from theatlantic
  15. medilldc reblogged this from theatlantic
  16. the-sunny-side reblogged this from theatlantic
  17. analligator reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    helga told me about this mars prep volunteer mission in hawaii. i love food, cooking, eating, space, and lava fields and...