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A Virginia Beach resident was chosen by NASA to live on Mars for a year — a 1,700-square-foot Mars-simulated habitat in Houston, that is.

Ross Brockwell, a 45-year-old engineer and public works administrator for the city of Chesapeake, is one of four people nationwide who will embark on the mission starting next month. 

NASA formally calls it the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, the first of three year-long Mars surface simulations in a 3D-printed habitat set up at Johnson Space Center.

The team will face the challenges of a human mission to Mars, the agency says, including limited resources, communication delays, environmental stressors and equipment failure. 

Brockwell, who’s also a private pilot, will serve as flight engineer. WHRO caught up with him to chat about the role.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

WHRO: So tell me a bit about your background and why you decided to apply for this. What was that process like?

Ross Brockwell: So (my) professional background is engineering, structural engineering. For a while now I've worked in public works, so I do infrastructure operation and maintenance. I've always been interested in (the) space program and aerospace. And you know, when I was a kid I thought I wanted to be an astronaut and always kind of stayed up with it. So I've always kind of kept tabs on what NASA's doing. They put out a call for applicants for this and I’ve always been fascinated in the Mars program, always wanted to play a part. The real mission is a few years away, but this seemed like a really cool opportunity to participate and make a contribution. 

There was just this written submitted application at first and then there was a kind of a progression. There was a medical we had to go through. We went to Houston for some mission-relevant tasks we took part in and there was an expedition in the mountains in Wyoming that was part of it too. Part selection, part team building. It was really fun and really exciting. So just the process itself has been amazing.

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Photo by Katherine Hafner 

Ross Brockwell at his office in Chesapeake. Coworkers gave him a container of Tang, which is associated with astronauts, as a good luck gift for the mission.

WHRO: What is this mission all about? What has NASA told you to be prepared for and what will you be doing as flight engineer?

RB: So it's a simulated surface Mars mission — full-scale, as realistic as possible mission to Mars for the purposes of studying the physiological and psychological effects of the long duration mission like that and testing some of the systems that they want to use and weighing resource limitations. So you have to decide what to bring and how much to bring and, balancing the constraints versus the benefits of what you bring. So we're taking part in a full scale simulation to make some of those determinations. There's a commander and a medical officer and a science officer. So I think my role will be kind of focused on the systems — you know, maybe if there's any kind of robotic activities, I might be expected to take the lead on that.

WHRO: What does the habitat look like and what are the Mars conditions that will be replicated?

RB: So I have seen it. We got a tour of it. It’s 3D printed. So this technology is basically a giant 3D printer that prints with concrete. So the idea is that you would ship this to Mars and you would use the Mars material to construct the habitat so you don't have to send so much building material there. And that kind of in-situ resource utilization has always been fascinating to me. I think it’s a really interesting strategy on Earth. So the idea of doing that (on) the moon and Mars scenarios is really fascinating to me.

It's red, as you might guess, but it's pretty neat. So the wall construction, it kind of comes out in this bead of concrete. It sort of looks like a built-up cake icing almost. And it's utilitarian, as you would imagine. So the sleeping quarters are on one end, and kind of common areas and kitchen area and the work out room is a big part of it. The exercise regimen is pretty intense. Mars gravity is less, so the astronauts that will do this for real will have to contend with issues of bone density, loss and muscle atrophy and all that. And then there's a science lab and an airlock and a medical bay. I don't know a lot of the specifics on purpose. There'll be day to day tasks that are mission relevant. We'll have maintenance of the habitat and exercise and science and external activities, we go through an airlock, sampling and exploration and all the things you would expect an astronaut to do on Mars.

WHRO: What are you most nervous about, and what are you most excited about? 

RB: I mean, the whole thing is exciting, really. Getting into this from the beginning, you have to be pretty excited about it. Just what we're going to be doing is going to be so interesting and so challenging and things I've kind of daydreamed about a lot anyway I'm going to get to do or at least pretend to do. So that's really exciting. Obviously, it's going to be challenging. I mean, that's the point of doing the study is to see how we react and see what the difficulties are. 

I'm way more excited than nervous. I do know that there will be things I can't predict. You know, there will be challenges that I can't foresee, but that's kind of exciting too. I'm looking forward to meeting them and I’m sure I'll learn some things about myself as well, and hopefully I can demonstrate the proper ways to manage those stresses. It's not actually going to Mars, but it's a step in that direction. And timing wise, in my lifetime, I hope that happens and maybe years down the road. So if I can make a contribution now, in this time in my life, I'm happy to do it. 

Sometimes there's a bit of a divide, like Mars is the future which makes Earth irrelevant. But nothing could be further from the truth. I think this kind of mission will put in perspective how amazing our own planet is and how we should appreciate it and enjoy it. This is our headquarters and it always will be. I hope I can do Hampton Roads proud.

WHRO: Would you go to Mars?

RB: I would. I think we all would.