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Project Progress

The FMARS Long Duration Mission (FXI-LDM) was an unprecedented Mars exploration simulation in the Mars analogue environment of Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic. Seven crewmembers spent four months under strict simulation conditions (limited water use, constrained diet, high-latency communications, no outside activity without simulated life-support equipment, etc.) conducting field research in and around Haughton Crater, a 39 million year old impact structure. There were three categories of research carried out: human factors research, examining the effects of the simulation conditions on crew psychology and performance, and the effectiveness of counter-measures; mission operations research, analyzing resource usage under realistic simulation conditions; and the field research itself, which focused on the winter to summer seasonal transition and its effects on biological activity in the active layer above the permafrost.

Probably the most significant human factors study was the “Mars Time” project. The Martian day is 24.6 hours long, and during the surface exploration phase, a Mars crew would have to operate on Martian time (unless the landing site is in a polar region). This slightly longer day has psychological, physiological, and operational repercussions. During FXI-LDM, crewmembers operated on Mars time for 37 days. This was possible due to the 24-hour daylight in the Arctic summer. We tracked changes in sleep quality and disruption using CASPER (Cardiac Adapted Sleep Parameter Electrocardiogram Recorder), and measured reaction speed and decision-making using cognitive tests. CASPER provides a simple and accurate means of detecting sleep disruption and stability by assessing cardiac autonomic activity from a single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG).

The first paper based on the Mars Time study won a “Best Young Investigator” Award from the Aerospace Medical Association. A second paper is in preparation.