Product 15 of 15
A planning tool for crews living on a 24 hour 39 minute Martian day.
Mars does not keep Earth time. A sol, the Martian day, lasts 24 hours 39 minutes and 35 seconds, 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than an Earth day. Living on it means shifting sleep and work by about 40 minutes every day, and rover teams who tried it found it exhausting.
In 2008 a crew of 19 volunteers supporting the Phoenix mission used blue light and timed caffeine to live on Mars time, and 87 percent reported they could adjust. That was a small study with no control group, so it points to a direction rather than proving a method.
The Circadian Planning Module is a concept for turning those ideas into a plan a crew can follow: when to schedule light, caffeine, meals, sleep and demanding tasks as the sol drifts against Earth time. Whether it is a software tool, a lighting system or both is part of what we are defining.
The problem
A Martian sol, the planet's day, is 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than an Earth day (24 h 39 min 35 s). Rover teams who lived on Mars time found it exhausting.
Source: published spaceflight studies and NASA planning figures; refers to work by other groups.
The science
Why this approach.
Human body clocks run close to 24 hours and are reset mainly by light. A day that is 39 minutes longer than Earth's is a small mismatch, but it adds up: the crew's sleep and alertness have to slide about 40 minutes later every day just to stay in step with the Martian sun. Laboratory work by other groups suggests people can adapt to a day of about this length, but doing so on a mission, with demanding work, is a different matter.
Teams that ran rovers on Mars time reported fatigue, and a small 2008 study used blue light and timed caffeine to help volunteers adjust. The Circadian Planning Module would collect these ideas into a schedule: not a medicine, but a plan for light, caffeine, meals, sleep and the timing of demanding tasks. It would be built with sleep specialists and tested against sleep and performance measures before any claim is made.
In use
Across the length of a mission.
How this product is intended to fit into a crew's routine, from loading to return.
Schedules and lighting plans prepared and rehearsed on Earth before departure.
During transit, a gentle shift to Mars time begins ahead of arrival.
On the surface, a daily plan keeps the crew in step with the sol and adapts to each person.
On return, the module guides readjustment to Earth time.
Design
Four decisions that shape it.
Schedule generator
Builds a day-by-day plan that shifts sleep and work onto Mars time at a safe pace.
Light and caffeine timing
Places bright and blue-enriched light and caffeine according to published approaches, and avoids them when they would disturb sleep.
Individual variation
People differ in their body clocks, so the plan adapts to each crew member's sleep and performance data.
Safety first
Designed with sleep and chronobiology specialists, with clear limits and no medical claims.
Risks
What could go wrong, and what we do about it.
| Risk | How we address it |
|---|---|
| Too small an evidence base | No claims until analog studies measure sleep and performance; the 2008 result is only a pointer. |
| Individual differences | Plans adapt to each crew member's sleep data rather than assuming one pattern. |
| Overlap with medical advice | Developed with sleep specialists, with no diagnosis or treatment claims. |
Test plan
Ground, analog, orbit.
A staged programme: ground first, then analog crews, then flight.
Ground testing
Simulated Mars-time schedules tested in the laboratory and modelled in Cosmion before any crew use.
Isolated-crew studies
Trials in analog settings with controlled light and a shifted day, with sleep and performance measured.
Flight testing
Later stage: schedule and lighting studies on a space station, subject to ground results.
Partnerships
Sleep, chronobiology and habitat-lighting groups at agencies and institutes.
Questions
FAQ.
Why does a longer day matter?
A day that runs 39 minutes long drifts against Earth time every day. Without a plan, sleep and work slide out of step with light, which can leave people tired and less alert.
Is it proven?
No. It is a concept. The 2008 Phoenix result was a small study with no control group, and our module has not been built or tested.
Related
Works well with.
Immune Resilience Stack
Spore probiotic plus immune-supporting ingredients for isolated crews.
Research programmeRead more02On-Demand Nutrient Packs
Dried microbial packs that make carotenoids, riboflavin and folate when water is added.
ConceptRead more03Mars Dust and Perchlorate Defence Kit
A dried enzyme cartridge for habitat air filters that breaks perchlorate down.
ConceptRead moreAll products on this site are under research and development. They are not approved or cleared by any regulator and are not available for sale. Nothing here is medical advice, and no product is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Descriptions of research refer to published studies by other groups and do not claim that our products have been proven in space. Circadian Planning Module is a product under research and development and is not available for sale.
Let's build the next shield together.
Space agencies, station builders, research institutes and sustainable-construction partners: we would like to hear from you.