NASA is preparing to launch its second year-long Mars simulation mission this October, inviting media to tour the ground-based habitat at Johnson Space Center in Houston where four volunteers will spend 378 days living as if they were on the Red Planet.
The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission will see crew members enter a 1,700-square-foot 3D-printed habitat called Mars Dune Alpha on Friday, 22 August, offering journalists a rare glimpse inside the facility before the volunteers begin their isolation. The mission forms part of NASA’s crucial preparations for sending humans to Mars as early as the 2030s.
Inside the hermetically sealed habitat, the four-person crew will face the psychological and physical challenges of a real Mars mission, including 44-minute round-trip communication delays with Earth, resource limitations, equipment failures, and the isolation that comes with being millions of miles from home.
Life Inside Mars Dune Alpha
The 3D-printed habitat at Johnson Space Center has been meticulously designed to replicate the living conditions future astronauts will face on Mars. The facility includes separate areas for living and working, with individual crew quarters, a kitchen, medical bay, recreation areas, and workspace for conducting experiments.
During their 378-day mission, crew members will undertake a variety of activities essential to Mars exploration. These include conducting simulated “Marswalks” using virtual reality technology, operating robotic systems, maintaining critical habitat infrastructure, and growing crops to supplement their shelf-stable food supplies.
We mimic what we expect for a Mars habitat surface mission,” explained Suzanne Bell, lead for NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. “We collect all sorts of data so we can learn how humans can survive and thrive in that circumstance.”
The habitat also features an adjoining 1,200-square-foot enclosure filled with red sand, where crew members will conduct simulated extravehicular activities whilst wearing mock spacesuits. These “Marswalks” are crucial for understanding how astronauts will explore the Martian surface whilst dealing with the planet’s harsh environment.
Communication Delays Test Crew Autonomy
One of the most challenging aspects of the simulation is the realistic communication delay between Mars and Earth. Messages between the crew and Mission Control will experience delays of up to 22 minutes each way, forcing crew members to operate with unprecedented levels of autonomy.
“Mission Control won’t even hear about a problem until 22 minutes after it’s occurred,” Bell noted. “This requires the crew to work with unparalleled levels of autonomy, and they’ll have to problem solve on their own.”
This communication lag means the crew must wait 44 minutes for any response from Earth, making real-time troubleshooting impossible. Crew members will need to determine which issues to escalate to Mission Control and handle many problems independently using only the resources available within the habitat.
Lessons from the First CHAPEA Mission
The upcoming mission builds on the success of CHAPEA-1, which concluded on 6 July 2024 when Kelly Haston, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones, and Anca Selariu emerged from Mars Dune Alpha after 378 days of isolation.
“Congratulations to the crew of CHAPEA Mission 1 on their completion of a year in a Mars-simulated environment,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the time. “Through the Artemis missions, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.”
The first mission provided invaluable data on how extended isolation, confinement, and Mars-realistic resource limitations affect human health and performance. Crew members successfully grew vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, and leafy greens, maintained their equipment through various simulated failures, and adapted to the psychological challenges of long-term isolation.
Rigorous Selection Process
NASA’s selection process for CHAPEA crew members is extremely competitive. For the second mission, nearly 4,000 people applied, but only four were chosen. The space agency seeks healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, aged 30-55, and proficient in English.
Applicants must hold a degree in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) or medicine, with professional STEM experience, military training, or test piloting backgrounds. The agency specifically selects individuals who demonstrate strong teamwork abilities and psychological resilience.
“We’ve specifically chosen people that we hope to succeed together very carefully screened, and really clear that they have the ability to work on teams,” Bell explained. “Our objectives are really about optimising that human health and performance.”
Supporting Future Mars Missions
The CHAPEA missions represent just one component of NASA’s broader strategy to prepare for human exploration of Mars. The data collected helps scientists understand the physical and psychological challenges crews will face during the months-long journey to Mars and their extended stay on the planet’s surface.
Each day in Mars Dune Alpha follows a carefully structured schedule designed to replicate a real Mars mission. Crew members conduct scientific research, maintain life support systems, exercise to combat the effects of reduced gravity, prepare meals from limited ingredients, and manage their mental health through recreational activities and communication with loved ones on Earth.
The missions also test NASA’s ability to provide continuous support through a dedicated Mission Control team operating 24 hours a day for the entire year. This ground support practices managing emergencies with significant communication delays and helps develop protocols for future Mars missions.
Part of Artemis Programme
The CHAPEA missions align with NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars. By testing technologies and procedures in Earth-based analogues, NASA can identify and solve problems before they arise during actual space missions.
“As NASA works to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and exploration on the Moon through the Artemis campaign, CHAPEA missions provide important scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions for future missions to the Red Planet,” the agency stated.
A third CHAPEA mission is already planned for 2026, allowing researchers to collect data from multiple crews and eliminate anomalies specific to particular individuals or team dynamics. This approach provides a broader understanding of how different people adapt to the challenges of Mars exploration.
Media Day Offers Rare Access
The 22 August media event at Johnson Space Center will provide journalists with a unique opportunity to explore Mars Dune Alpha before the crew enters isolation. Subject matter experts will be available to explain the mission’s objectives and the habitat’s sophisticated systems.
Whilst the actual crew members for CHAPEA-2 will not be present during the media day – they will arrive at NASA Johnson at a later date – the event offers valuable insights into how NASA is preparing for one of humanity’s greatest adventures: sending astronauts to Mars and bringing them safely home.
As October approaches, the selected volunteers are preparing to leave behind their normal lives for more than a year, contributing to humanity’s quest to become a multi-planetary species. Their sacrifice and dedication in the confines of Mars Dune Alpha will help ensure the safety and success of future Mars explorers who will make the journey for real.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
Image Credit (Shortened):
True‑color image of Mars by Rosetta’s OSIRIS instrument (24 Feb 2007) – by ESA & MPS for OSIRIS Team, licensed under CC BY‑SA 3.0 IGO, via Wikimedia Commons.
