Kelowna scientist joins NASA funded simulated mission to Mars on Hawaiian mountain

KELOWNA - A Kelowna scientist is joining the crew of a NASA-funded simulated mission to Mars after beating out hundreds of applicants from around the world.

Ross Lockwood and five others will spend four months inside a sealed environment high on the slopes of a Hawaiian mountain.

The main purpose of the mission, starting March 28, is to help the space agency develop psychological guidelines that will be used to select future astronauts capable of making a real trip to Mars.

``It's incredibly exciting to participate in a research project that will be used to help in space exploration,'' Lockwood said.

``I'm really looking forward to this, but I'm also a little bit nervous as well.''

Lockwood, 27, is doing his doctorate in condensed matter physics at the University of Alberta.

Along with his longtime interest in space-related research and astronomy, Lockwood has worked in educational programs at the University of Alberta Observatory.

His scientific background and experience in various university leadership roles helped him succeed in his application to participate in the simulated Mars mission, which is led by Cornell University and the University of Hawaii.

The researchers will enter the 11-metre diameter dome built in an old rock quarry at an elevation of 2,500 metres on the slopes of Mauna Koa.

Inside the habitat, they will spend several hours a day taking psychoogical tests and continuing with their own research endeavours as part of the venture dubbed HI-SEAS, for Hawaii Space Exploration and Analog Simulation.

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Kelowna scientist joins NASA funded simulated mission to Mars on Hawaiian mountain