Nestled high on the northern slopes of Mauna Loa, the world’s most active volcano, the HI-SEAS habitat simulates life on the moon or Mars for crews who live here in isolation for up to 8 months testing the limits of interplanetary off-grid homesteading.
source.image: Kirsten Dirksen
Inside a 36-foot-diameter, 2-story dome, they have a full-kitchen/dining room, a living room/ workout space, 2 composting toilets, one urinal, one shower and 6 slivers of bedrooms, plus an engineering bay.
The solar panels and water tanks are monitored by sensor from inside to be sure nothing is over-used. If anything goes wrong with the equipment, the crew can contact “Mission Control” for help, but they need to make all fixes on their own.
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Director Kato Claeys has been on multiple missions and feels life at the “hab” is second best to a trip to Mars. She gave us a full tour of their round home and we took a “moon walk” through lava fields looking for local lava tubes.
