Behind the Scenes
In any space mission, there are a multitude of things that can go wrong. When equipment fails or the unexpected occurs, the on-board crew of skilled pilots, commanders, engineers and mission specialists have to fix things. Because Mars mission astronauts will face substantial time delays in communicating with their ground crew, they will have to be both self-reliant and skilled enough to problem solve a wide number of challenges on their own.

Real astronauts have had to spontaneously engineer solutions for broken equipment using duct tape; long duration missions on MIR or in the Antarctic have forced astronauts to resolve tricky interpersonal conflicts. The multi-year travel time, up to 45 minute delays communicating with Earth, and incredibly close quarters make the crew more on their own and under pressure then any previous space mission.  This strategy-game puts you in the hot seat, testing your mettle, judgment and on-the-fly reactions. Take the Mission Commander challenge to find out if you have what it takes to survive a long-term space mission.

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Find out more:
Mission Plan: Mars Vehicles
Mission Plan: Timeline
Life in Space
Known Effects of Long-term Space Flight on the Human Body