The whole world is sheltering in place,
but I’m not on Earth anymore…
Join me as I conduct a personal analog mission in the ISTIO-Dome, a geodesic dome habitat & laboratory module made with up-cycled sails. Inspired by NASA’s mock space training missions, I’ll be living and working like an astronaut for 30 days!
Mission Status
SUCCESS
Stay tuned for mission debrief!
The Mission
We all had big plans for 2020. Then COVID19 hit and everything stopped. We needed to adjust, re-think, “work the problem”. We quarantined and put on masks. I decided to put on a space helmet, and challenge myself to go on a journey of exploration, even if it meant staying in one place. What will we learn? What can we discover? Can we use our imagination to emerge stronger, more resilient, and create a brighter future?
The Crew
Orestis Hero.
ISTIO-DOME Analog Astronaut
5Gyres Ambassador
My first encounter with the red planet was taking a photo of a crater using the THEMIS instrument aboard the Mars Odyssey Orbiter. Now, I help image the entire Earth’s surface every day. I like to write software, go sailing, make art, explore the back-country, and nerd out on space, maps, science, tech, and the environment. Oh and I love geodesic domes!
Orestis
Shelter in Dome Mission Commander
The Hab
The mission habitation module, the ISTIO-Dome, is a 6 meter diameter geodesic dome structure whose outer layer is constructed from up-cycled sail boat sails (“Istio” means sail in Greek).
The “hab” has been setup with several work and living stations, including a galley stocked with rations, research & communications stations, a fitness station, a planetarium, a hydroponic botanical station, a low gravity sleeping bunk, equipment stowage, and recreational areas.
Hab Virtual Tour
