NASA crew completes 378-day simulated Mars mission

Science · First reported 31 Oct, 16:07 · Updated 16:28

Image: Wikimedia Commons · NASA Johnson Space Center / Jonny Kim · Public domain

Four participants have emerged from NASA’s CHAPEA Mars simulation habitat in Houston after 378 days. The mission included simulated Mars operations and communication delays; NASA says the data will help prepare for long-duration spaceflight.

Four crew members completed 378 days in a simulated Mars habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
They carried out simulated mission tasks, including habitat maintenance and growing plants or crops, while facing resource limits and delayed communications.
NASA says the missions can inform preparations for long-duration space travel; this crew is scheduled for two weeks of post-mission evaluation and debriefing.

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Key facts

Crew size: Four participants.
Time in isolation: 378 days.
Habitat: A 1,700-square-foot 3D-printed facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Post-mission follow-up: Two weeks of evaluations and debriefing with NASA scientists.
Next analog mission: NASA says it will begin no earlier than August 2027.