NASA’s Simulated Mars Crew Marks One Year Inside Habitat
The four crew members in NASA’s simulated Mars mission have spent the past year living and working in isolation in a confined habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The four crew members in NASA’s simulated Mars mission have spent the past year living and working in isolation in a confined habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. For the past 365 days, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) Mission 2 crew members have operated as though they were on the Red Planet, growing crops, managing limited resources, navigating communication delays, and conducting suited extravehicular activities on a simulated Martian surface.
Crew members include Ross Elder, mission commander; Ellen Ellis, medical officer; Matthew Montgomery, science officer; and James Spicer, flight engineer. They entered their 1,700 square foot 3D-printed habitat Oct. 19, 2025. Leading up to the one-year mark of their 378‑day mission, science teams at NASA prepared to process health and performance data collected on the crew. This critical data can help NASA balance priorities and develop methods that counter spaceflight risks during future long-duration missions on Mars.
“We are extremely proud of the crew for their commitment and achievements over the last year on such a fast-paced, highly demanding mission,” said Grace Douglas, CHAPEA principal investigator. “The entire CHAPEA team is excited to congratulate the crew in person.”
The crew will exit their habitat on Saturday, Oct. 31, to conclude their mission. They will have a chance to reconnect with their families, who they’ve only spoken with via email over the course of their mission with a Mars-like communication delay. The crew will then begin two weeks of post-mission evaluations and debriefs with NASA scientists.
These debriefs and evaluations will help scientists learn what it takes for crews to adapt to the routines and demands of daily life on long-duration missions, giving NASA insight into what future explorers may need to stay healthy, productive, and connected during missions far from Earth.
For example, data could shed light on how limited food and exercise systems will influence NASA’s ability to achieve mission objectives, including spacewalks on the surface of Mars. Some data also could help NASA foster autonomy and build decision-making support systems that best aid crew with communication delays lasting up to 45 minutes each way.
“This mission has been incredibly valuable in starting to teach us how to understand requirements for year-long missions, including medical and psychological care, via communication delays,” said Michael Stenger, chief scientist for NASA’s Human Research Program. “When combining this Mars-realistic mission analog with a suite of physiological, psychological, and performance measures in a rigorously controlled environment, we’ll be able to translate the knowledge from these experiences to Moon Base and beyond.”
To watch the CHAPEA Mission 2 egress ceremony on Oct. 31, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/live/2MONMgAmXNU