India's first analog space mission: Could this be what our home on Moon or Mars might look like?

India tested its first analog space mission in the Himalayan mountains of Ladakh.

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The Hab-1 - short for Habitat-1 – is Indian space agency Isro's first-ever "analog mission" which means simulation of space conditions to prepare astronauts for real space missions. It was recently tested for three weeks in the high Himalayan mountains of Ladakh.

Space architect Aastha Kacha-Jhala, from Gujarat-based firm Aaka, told the BBC that these simulations help identify and address issues astronauts and equipment might face before space missions.

Built with space-grade Teflon and insulated with industrial-use foam, Hab-1 has a bed, a stowaway tray which can be pulled out and used as a workstation, storage space to keep supplies and emergency kits, a kitchenette for heating meals and a toilet. An astronaut in simulation spent three weeks holed up in the facility.

"Hab-1 is designed keeping in mind that space is going to be very limited on the Moon or Mars," Ms Kacha-Jhala says. "The astronaut will also have very limited water so we designed a dry toilet. We also put in place a system for a proper disposal of waste and ensured that the habitat remained odour-free."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g23rjq8qro

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