HOUSTON – Lt. Anca Selariu, a microbiologist with the Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) INDO-PACIFIC, along with three other volunteers, began a simulated Mars mission on June 25 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The mission, part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) Mars surface simulation program, will last 378 days. Selariu’s role in CHAPEA is the latest chapter in Navy Medicine’s 64-year history with NASA.
One of the greatest strengths of Navy Medicine is its diversity. Navy Medicine is comprised of people who provide expertise, know-how, and perspective shaped by their own personal journeys.
Selariu, a native of Romania, brings expertise in vaccines, prion transmission, gene therapy, and infectious disease research to the CHAPEA mission. Her fellow volunteers include experts in engineering and medicine. Alongside her fellow volunteers, Selariu will conduct research to inform future expeditions to the surface of Mars.