Three men and one woman will enter the 158 sq m capsule at the US space agency’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston on October 19, hoping to provide foundational data for human habitation of the Red Planet.
Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, Matthew Montgomery and James Spicer will live and work like astronauts for 378 days before leaving the Mars Dune Alpha habitat on October 31, 2026.
The endeavour forms part of a series of Earth-based missions designed to replicate the same isolation, resource limitations, equipment failures and communication delays that astronauts will experience during future Mars missions.
The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analogue (CHAPEA) missions will involve simulated walks on the Martian surface, research experiments and attempts to grow a vegetable garden under replicated Mars conditions.
“The simulation will allow us to collect cognitive and physical performance data to give us more insight into the potential impacts of the resource restrictions and long-duration missions to Mars on crew health and performance,” said principal investigator at CHAPEA Grace Douglas.
Nasa has stated its intention to send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s, with the journey to the Red Planet taking six to seven months each way.
Every day seemed to be a new revelation about something
Before that, Nasa will be sending crewed missions to the moon as part of its Artemis programme.
“As Nasa gears up for crewed Artemis missions, CHAPEA and other ground analogues are helping to determine which capabilities could best support future crews in overcoming the human health and performance challenges of living and operating beyond Earth’s resources – all before we send humans to Mars,” Sara Whiting, project scientist with Nasa’s Human Research Programme, said.
The US space agency has already completed one 378-day CHAPEA mission, which successfully concluded on July 6 last year.
After stepping out of the 3D-printed habitat, Nasa volunteer Anca Selariu said the experience had given her a new perspective on problem-solving and life in general.
“Every day seemed to be a new revelation about something; about Earth, about art, about humans, about cultures, about the history of life in the universe – what little we know of it,” Ms Selariu said.
“As much as I appreciate having information at my fingertips, I will miss the luxury of being unplugged in a world that now validates humans by their digital presence.”