Well, it’s official. NASA stuck the landing on Mars with its latest rover, Perseverance! And even though it will likely be decades before we send humans to Mars, many folks are now excitedly talking about how Perseverance will lay the groundwork for future human missions. But what if you don’t want to wait decades to experience what it’s like to live on Mars?

Do you ever wonder if you can be an astronaut right here on Earth?

Analog astronauts do just that—they participate in human spaceflight research and training by living in special places on Earth that are similar to Mars or the Moon. 

We spoke with Sian Proctor (@DrSianProctor), an analog astronaut and geoscience professor at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, AZ. She tells us all about what analog astronauts do and what it’s like to live in a mock Mars habitat for months in Hawaii. Check it out.

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