Four volunteers emerged from a year-long Mars simulation experiment over the weekend.
Kelly Haston, Nathan Jones, Anca Selariu, and Ross Brockwell have been confined to a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot Mars habitat simulation since June 25, 2023. The test, dubbed CHAPEA for Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, is intended to give NASA and prospective astronauts an idea of what it will be like to live on the surface of Mars.
After emerging from the habitat, Haston, a research scientist, described the mission as an "experience with unique challenges, joys, and sorrows [and a] fair bit of fun."
Brockwell, a structural engineer and public works administrator, added that he was "grateful for the chance to live the idea that we must utilize resources no faster than they can be replenished and produce waste no faster than they can be processed back into resources.
"We cannot live, dream, create, or explore if we don't live these principles," he added. "But if we do, we can achieve and maintain inspiring things like exploring other worlds. And we can do these things together. We can use our sense of wonder and purpose to achieve peace and prosperity and to unlock knowledge and joy for everyone and every part of planet Earth."
As Steve Kerner, deputy center director at NASA's Johnson Space Center, explained, the CHAPEA mission charged the volunteers with growing and harvesting their own vegetables, simulating Mars walks, and providing data on things like behavioral health. It will be "crucial information as we prepare to return to the moon and on to Mars," he said.
NASA intends to use the research to "determine how to best support crew health and performance while living on Mars during a long-duration exploration mission."
CHAPEA is the first of three NASA analog missions to simulate a Mars environment. NASA started accepting applications for CHAPEA 2 earlier this year. Volunteers must have a master's degree or higher in a STEM field, including engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical, or computer sciences, so they can perform experiments.
The second group will perform a lot of the same tasks as the first group, including growing food and seeing how the human mind handles being isolated on the Red Planet. Maintaining the enclosure will also be a part of the test for CHAPEA 2, which is set to begin in 2025. CHAPEA 3 is slated to start in 2026.