NASA’s second Mars habitat simulation concludes after 378 days
NASA’s second CHAPEA crew is ending a 378-day stay in a mock Mars habitat in Houston, with the exit streamed live from 3pm Eastern time. The simulation helps researchers study how people might cope with long missions to Mars and the Moon.
Ross Elder, Matthew Montgomery, Ellen Ellis and James Spicer lived in a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed facility, carrying out simulated spacewalks, maintenance and plant-growing tasks. They also faced isolation, communication delays and limited resources. NASA says the data can inform food systems for future lunar missions and preparations for extended spaceflight; applications are open for a further year-long analog mission due to start no earlier than August 2027.
In short
- NASA’s second mock Mars crew is completing a 378-day simulation.
- Four volunteers lived in an isolated habitat in Houston.
- The research will help prepare for long lunar and Mars missions.
Explained simply
CHAPEA is a NASA programme that studies how people might live and work during long space missions. Its crews stay in a habitat on Earth designed to imitate some conditions of a journey to Mars, including limited supplies, isolation and delayed communication.
NASA researchers use the crew’s tasks and experiences to learn about human health, teamwork and practical needs such as food. The findings may help planners prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars, where crews would need to operate far from Earth and with limited chances for resupply.
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Originally published by Engadget as “NASA’s second year-long Mars simulation mission ends today”.