A hitherto peaceful morning is suddenly interrupted by a call for help, launched by teammates in Clément Plagne’s space suits. On the third day of their simulated excursion to the red planet, the situation turns to panic. “The suit does not transmit any air to me, alerts a participant by radio. If we weren’t on Earth, I would be dead here. “We must return to base immediately”, add another.
At the base, which is an airtight habitat, Clément Plagne and two other comrades anxiously await the return of their teammates, who have gone for a walk on the “Martian” surface. Their problem ended up being solved, but that’s as much time as they didn’t spend exploring the surroundings.
Appointed journalist of Mission 223, Clément Plagne was in particular responsible for recording these episodes rich in emotion during the two weeks of the simulation. Problems observed at the base, called the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and operated by The Mars Society in the Utah desert in the western United States, are valuable data that aid in disaster preparedness and recovery plans. intervention for real astronauts.
About that day in 2020, he remembers:
“If you’re supposed to be on Mars and the system that allows you to breathe fails, within four or five seconds, that’s an emergency.”
Clément Plagne, an aerospace student at the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, in Toulouse, says that being an astronaut is a childhood dream that was notably inspired by the film Apollo 13 (1995).
He is one of over a thousand passionate volunteers who have been screened, trained, and sent to multiple Mars Society locations since the early 2000s. As part of various initiatives around the world, weeks of isolation are held in a Mars-like environment for “astronauts” earthlings, so that they can study the technical, logistical and behavioral conditions of a manned mission on the red planet.
The objective is both simple and ambitious: to advance human knowledge, to eventually make interplanetary travel a reality, and even solve problems on Earth such as climate change.
Solve Earth Problems
“We do not leave Earth to abandon earthly problems here, says MDRS director Shannon Rupert. Going to Mars helps us solve problems on Earth and also makes us look to the future, which is not only on Mars but also here: what do we want
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Source of the article
The Christian Science Monitor (Boston)In the grip of financial difficulties, this elegant tabloid founded in 1908 in Boston and read from coast to coast, ceased to be printed daily on March 27, 2009, to better focus its efforts on its website. However, a paper version continues to appear weekly.
Mary Baker Eddy created in 1908 – she was 87 at the time – The Christian Science Monitor, in reaction to the tabloid press. She did not want to found a religious title but a newspaper only financed by a Church: the First Church of Christ, Scientist. It remains renowned for its coverage of international affairs and the seriousness of its national information.
Since its launch in 1995, the electronic version of the Christian Science Monitor is one of the best news sites on the web. Since the newspaper decided (practically) to interrupt its paper publication, it has grown even more. The consultation of the archives is free, except for those prior to 1980.
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