{"id":68843,"date":"2023-03-03T11:37:20","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T17:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacecenter.org\/?page_id=68843"},"modified":"2025-09-26T13:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T18:17:54","slug":"hera-patch-challenge","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/spacecenter.org\/education-programs\/community-science\/hera-patch-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"HERA Patch Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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HERA Patch Challenge<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Home<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tImportant update regarding the 2025 HERA Patch Challenge\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We want to share an important update with our community. The HERA Patch Design Challenge will not be moving forward this year.<\/p>\n

We know many of you were excited to take part, and we are truly grateful for the creativity, passion, and effort you\u2019ve shown in preparing for this opportunity. While this particular challenge won\u2019t continue, our commitment to creating inspiring STEM experiences remains strong.<\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We look forward to sharing new opportunities soon and can\u2019t wait to see the innovative ideas you\u2019ll bring to future challenges.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Design NASA\u2019s Next HERA Campaign Patch!<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Challenge | Inactive<\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is HERA?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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HERA is a two-and-a-half story, 650-square-foot habitat at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The facility simulates the type of isolation, confinement, and remote conditions that astronauts will experience on deep space missions.<\/p>

Beginning in 2026, four missions will take place inside HERA, all simulating a trip to the Moon. Each will have four volunteer crew members who live isolated and confined within HERA for 45 days. Research volunteers live and work like astronauts during the missions, carrying out maintenance, operational, and scientific tasks. They will also experience simulated communication delays with HERA\u2019s Mission Control Center. Scientists assess how the environment affects the mental and physical health of participants. Resulting data helps NASA plan future human expeditions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Human Exploration Research Analog, located at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston \/ Credit: NASA<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA HERA mission site<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Studies within HERA 8 will focus on the following themes:<\/p>\n

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  • Crew autonomy with communication delays<\/strong> | On the International Space Station, astronauts have near-constant communication with mission control for guidance. However, Moon and Mars missions will involve communication delays, requiring crews to work more independently. Studies in HERA may focus on testing \u201csmart\u201d technologies, like augmented reality and artificial intelligence, to see how they can be optimized to assist crews in making decisions and solving problems during future deep-space journeys.<\/li>\n
  • Behavioral health and physiological effects of isolation and confinement<\/strong> | Spaceflight isolates crews from Earth, with limited sensory stimulation and exercise opportunities. Studies in HERA examine how this isolated environment affects physical and mental health. They also explore ways to counter any effects, such as enhancing exercise with sensory stimulation or other motivators.<\/li>\n
  • Teamwork<\/strong> | Cooperation is key to NASA\u2019s missions, which often have crews from many national backgrounds. Studies in HERA can examine how cultural and linguistic differences affect team dynamics, communication, and performance in isolated, high-stress environments, aiming to improve teamwork across missions.<\/li>\n
  • Sleep Quality and Performance<\/strong> | Sleep quality is essential for astronaut performance. Studies in HERA examine how sleep affects cognitive function, mood, and physical performance, with crewmembers journaling their sleep patterns and their impact. The goal is to find strategies to improve sleep quality and manage disruptions on long-duration missions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n


    Students are encouraged to keep these themes in mind while designing their mission patch submission.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Calling all educators: Your students can design the patch for the next NASA HERA mission! Learn more and participate today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":83054,"parent":17897,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-68843","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nParticipate in the HERA Patch Challenge - Space Center Houston<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Calling all educators: Your students can design the patch for the next NASA HERA mission! 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