INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Research Analog, or HERA, on Friday, May 10
Once inside, the team will live and work like astronauts for 45 days
confinement, and remote conditions before NASA sends astronauts on deep space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond
Crew members will carry out scientific research and operational tasks throughout their simulated mission to the Red Planet, including a
The most recent crew completed its HERA mission on March 18
Two other missions will follow this year, with the final HERA crew slated to wrap up on Dec
20.In a first for HERA, one crew member, Shareef Al Romaithi, hails from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will participate in the mission
The experiments will evaluate the physiological, behavioral, and psychological responses of crew members in an environment similar to what
astronauts will face on a trip to Mars
Seven of these studies are collaborations with the MBRSC and the European Space Agency (ESA)
Insights gleaned from the studies will allow researchers to develop and test strategies aimed at helping astronauts overcome obstacles on
long missions deep into space.The primary crew of the upcoming mission is:Piyumi WijesekaraPiyumi Wijesekara is a postdoctoral research
Her research focuses on developing tissue models to investigate the effects of spaceflight stressors, including ionizing radiation and lunar
Her doctoral research focused on stem cell and organ engineering, with an emphasis on engineering lung models that mimic human lung
physiology, to study respiratory diseases.Wijesekara currently lives in San Francisco
She enjoys spending time with family and friends, running along the San Francisco Bay, reading, hiking, volunteering at the food pantry, and
Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering
He teaches thermal fluids, manufacturing, and sports engineering courses
degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin
His graduate research focused on manufacturing processes involving heat transfer and the characterization of heat shielding materials
He completed a postdoctoral degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying high-strength nanofibers.Lee lives in Boston
In his spare time, he enjoys running, martial arts, chess, and indoor rock climbing
He also likes to watch movies and plays, try new cuisines, spend time with friends, and visit his nephew and nieces.Stephanie
NavarroStephanie Navarro is a space operations officer in the U.S
She has more than a decade of prior enlisted service in the Air National Guard and was deployed in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel to
help provide secure communication capabilities in the Middle East
She began her civilian career as an information technology specialist for the U.S
Army, providing systems engineering for data-center modernization efforts in Hawaii
Navarro currently works at Northrop Grumman as a senior systems engineer, specializing in satellite communication programs.Navarro earned
While pursuing her undergraduate studies, she served the constituents of Florida as a congressional intern for both the U.S
cybersecurity from the University of Maryland Global Campus.Born and raised by Ecuadorian parents in Miami, Navarro has strong ties to her
During her spare time, she is either working out, at the beach, or in the air flying a Cessna 172
She lives in Orlando, Florida.Shareef Al RomaithiShareef Al Romaithi is a pilot with more than 16 years of experience in the airline
industry, including more than 9,000 flight hours on multiple Airbus and Boeing aircraft
Currently, he commands Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft as a captain, underscoring his expertise and leadership in aviation.Al Romaithi received
aviation management, safety systems, and space operations, respectively
He went on to earn a doctorate degree in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2014, specializing in safety systems and
He joins HERA through a partnership between NASA and MBRSC
In his free time, he enjoys fishing, reading, and traveling.--NASA--
