Episode 126: Off to Mars…Via Houston!

Jason Lee (second from right), an associate professor in the College of Engineering at UConn, has wanted to travel into space since he was a child. He got a chance to do that for 45 days – without ever leaving earth! For 45 days, Lee, lived in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog habitat at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, participating in a simulated journey to Mars. He and three others operated in a constrained environment, completing mission-critical tasks, conducting repairs, viewing Martian landscapes through virtual reality, and making communication attempts with Mission Control. Lee talks to the UConn 360 podcast all about the experience, including what it was like to stay in touch with family and friends, what the diet was for the crew, and the future of space travel.

Link to Episode 126 at Podbean

Transcript

Mike: Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the UConn 360 podcast. Glad you could join us. I’m Mike Enright from University Communications and once again joined by Izzy Harris from University Communications. Hi, Izzy.

Izzy: Hey, Mike. It’s good to be back this week.

Mike: Has anyone ever accused you of being from outer space?

Izzy: I don’t think so.

Mike: Really?

Izzy: Yeah.

Mike: That kind of surprises me a little bit.

Izzy: I know. I am a little out there.

Mike: Well, I’ve been accused of being from outer space.

Izzy: See, now that doesn’t surprise me.

Mike: But today, our guest really has experience in outer space.

Izzy: This is true.

Mike: So, we’re happy to have Jason Lee, who here at UConn is an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. And Jason just did something really, really interesting. He fulfilled a lifelong dream, traveling to outer space without ever leaving Earth. For 45 days, he lived in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog Habitat at the Johnson Space Center down in Houston and participated in a simulated journey to Mars. He’s going to tell us why he did that and why it’s important, but it basically sounds like he is aiding future journeys to Mars and what those crews will encounter. And he plans to use some of the things he learned during this experience in his classes at UConn. He received his undergraduate degree from Cal Berkeley and did his master’s and doctorate work at the University of Texas. So, Jason, welcome.

Jason: Thank you.

Mike: This may not be as exciting as spending 45 days in simulated space, but we’ll see how it goes.

Izzy: I know. I doubt it, but we’ll try our best. We’ll try our best.

Mike: So tell us a little bit about your background and how space travel became an interest of yours. Was this a childhood passion? Did you watch movies? How did this all happen?

Jason: Absolutely. So I grew up in LA. My dad was a propulsion engineer in El Segundo, all those aerospace companies down near LAX. And so, I grew up always watching him work on rockets. He would bring home VHS tapes of rockets. He would study the skirt of the rocket, just looking at the firing components of it. So, as a kid, I watched a lot of launches down in the Vandenberg area. I’ve always been dreaming about being up in space.

Izzy: So how did you get involved with this NASA simulation?

Jason: So it’s funny, about two years ago, I was visiting family and had some downtime in between seeing people, and I had just heard a seminar given by someone who was on an analog mission. She introduced herself as an analog astronaut, and I had no idea what that meant. So I went down this rabbit hole to learn about it. Then I found NASA’s website talking about HERA, which is this analog mission we went on. And it was literally just a Google form. So I submitted it—it was very straightforward. I think it didn’t even ask for a resume, just a little about my background and why I wanted to participate. I didn’t hear back until the summer of last year. Then they reached out, asking me to do medical tests. They flew me out in the fall of last year for psychological and medical tests. A lot of it was team-based to see how well we would work in a four-person habitat. Then I got the call in March, and they said, “Come by in May,” and I joined.

Izzy: Would you call yourself an analog astronaut?

Jason: I would call myself an analog astronaut.

Izzy: So I can check off my bucket list that I’ve met an astronaut.

Jason: Well, I’m not an astronaut astronaut. Analog just means we’re simulating the mission component. So it’s different from true astronauts.

Izzy: Jason, I’m still going to check it off my bucket list.

Mike: I don’t think anyone’s going to dispute it.

Izzy: Nope.

Mike: Who were the others? Are they all academics, or who were your crewmates on the mission?

Jason: So when they selected the crew, they wanted people with backgrounds similar to what an astronaut would have. They were all in STEM fields. Six people were selected, and four went on the mission. Another of the six is a faculty member at Corpus Christi, a robotics engineer. Two others are PhDs in biology—one is a postdoc at NASA Ames studying lungs and the effects of moon dust on them. One crewmate flies 777s for the airline industry. He has a PhD in aerospace engineering. Our fifth crew member has a physics background, does cybersecurity, and is in the Air Force Reserves. So, a lot of STEM backgrounds.

Mike: And just to clarify, when exactly did you do this?

Jason: We went in May of this past year, 2024.

Mike: So, the semester had just ended at UConn?

Jason: Yes, the timing worked out perfectly. The semester just ended, we went in for training, and I got out right before my summer classes started.

Mike: Perfect. This was all in Houston, right?

Jason: Yes, all in Houston.

Mike: Are you in a warehouse, an actual space vehicle? How does it work?

Jason: Space Center JSC is across from Space Center Houston, the big museum. We’re in a big warehouse. Our habitat is within it. We share the space with CHAPIA, which is the one-year mission. We didn’t see them, but we split the warehouse into two parts. Our habitat is 650 square feet.

Izzy: That’s really small.

Jason: Yes, for four people. But we got along very well.

Izzy: You mentioned earlier that your dad was an engineer interested in aerospace. What did your family think? It must have felt like a full-circle moment.

Jason: Absolutely. Initially, I didn’t want to tell anyone, especially my mom, who’d probably ask, “Why are you going inside?” But afterward, they were all very proud. My uncles and aunts saw the Instagram posts and articles, including the one from UConn that connected it to my dad, who passed a few years ago. Every time I do anything space-related, I feel that connection again.

Izzy: That’s really sentimental and nice.

Mike: During this 45-day simulation, were you able to talk to the outside world?

Jason: During the workweek, we’d get two newspapers to see what’s going on. We had no email, but once a week, we could communicate with family. There was a time delay, simulating the journey to and from Mars. In the middle, there was a five- or seven-minute delay. We’d record messages and receive them from family every Saturday.

Mike: What about food?

Jason: Food was tough. We didn’t get fancy astronaut food—just dehydrated, like camping food. Some days we’d cut back because it wasn’t great, and many of us lost weight. I lost 15 pounds.

Izzy: You said you had ramen for breakfast today?

Jason: Yes.

Izzy: Were you able to have ramen?

Jason: Absolutely not. We had a 12-day cycle, and we’d eat what they told us, including nutritional bars, pasta, and Pad Thai. The worst was beet noodles, which had an odd taste.

Izzy: I’m glad we only hear my voice and not my face because beet noodles sound awful.

Mike: Would you do another analog experience?

Jason: I’d be open to one, but we wouldn’t be eligible for this mission again.

Mike: So, just for context, you were simulating a Mars mission with landing and activities, right?

Jason: Yes, it was mainly about teamwork, isolation, and running 18 experiments. We simulated taking off, landing, doing activities on Mars, and returning.

Mike: Any gravity simulation?

Jason: No, it was mainly psychological isolation and teamwork.

Mike: Do you think human travel to Mars is realistic for our lifetimes?

Jason: After the International Space Station, the next step is the lunar gateway via Artemis missions, which will take a decade or two. Mars would be the next step, probably in two or three decades.

Izzy: So by the time I’m 50, I might be able to celebrate on the moon if I win the lottery?

Jason: Commercial space travel is becoming more realistic, so maybe.

Izzy: I’ll start saving. Will I be able to send a postcard?

Mike: You’ll probably fly back yourself.

Izzy: UPS might not be on the moon yet.

Mike: How has this experience impacted your teaching at UConn?

Jason: Teamwork and communication were key. I plan to do an activity where students build 3D models with communication barriers. One of my favorite teamwork activities was a VR Martian spacewalk, where two of us wore headsets as astronauts while others navigated drones.

Mike: You’re the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Operations in Mechanical Engineering. What does that involve?

Jason: I advise about 800 undergraduates, work with the associate department head on class selections, and recently helped create a new curriculum.

Mike: After the simulation, what was your first meal?

Jason: We planned to go to Frenchy’s, an Italian restaurant with astronaut photos, but it was closed. So, we went to Velvet Tacos, and I ate more in that meal than in a day during the mission.

Mike: Sounds like it was a great experience and brings a lot of credit to UConn. And we’ve had, I think, two of our alumni who are astronauts. Do you know them at all? One is Franklin Chang-Díaz. Have you met him?

Jason: I met him when he came to speak at UConn.

Izzy: One more question for you. What are your future aspirations? Are we going to see you going to Mars one day?

Jason: Probably not. The probability of that is very low. But I would love to continue doing space activities with students here. We have space grants and space classes I would like to teach.

Izzy: Hey, anything’s possible. Maybe I’ll go to Mars. Maybe Mike will go to Mars.

Mike: I don’t think I’m going to Mars.

Izzy: Send me a postcard.

Mike: Make sure there’s enough postage. Jason, thanks again for joining us here today on the UConn 360 podcast. This has been really interesting.

Izzy: Sounds good.

Mike: And to our audience, thanks for joining us, and we’ll talk to you later on the UConn 360 podcast.