HOUSTON, 2nd November, 2026 (WAM) -- Four crew members who participated in a simulated mission to Mars emerged from 378 days of isolation at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, an initiative aimed at helping prepare for a potential future journey by NASA astronauts to Earth's neighbouring planet.
Ellen Ellis, the medical officer for the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission, said at Johnson Space Centre after emerging with her three crewmates, "It was a very challenging year. We analog astronauts lived in captivity of our own free will."
The four entered the 158-square-metre, 3D-printed habitat on 19th October 2025 and performed tasks such as growing crops in simulated Martian soil and communicating with NASA officials with delays mimicking those experienced in interplanetary communications.
NASA, which has explored Mars with robotic rovers and orbiting spacecraft, aims to send a human mission to the planet as early as the 2030s. The crew is scheduled to undergo post-mission evaluations and debriefings with NASA scientists over the next two weeks.