The mission is taking place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston
NASA has locked four volunteers to embark on the agency's first one-year analog mission in a habitat to simulate living on Mars. The volunteers are expected to remain for 378 days while facing a range of challenges designed to anticipate a real-life human mission to the red planet.
"Four volunteer crew members are about to enter into our Mars simulated habitat for 378 days to support human health and performance research," NASA's Johnson Space Center wrote on Twitter before the 378-day mission began on Sunday.
The mission is taking place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The participants- research scientist Kelly Haston, structural engineer Ross Brockwell, emergency medicine physician Nathan Jones and U.S. Navy microbiologist Anca Selariu were locked into the virtual planet as part of a ground-based mission.
The mission is the first of three planned one-year Mars surface simulations, during which crew members will live and work in a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot habitat.
Researchers will simulate the challenges of a human mission to Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays, and other environmental stressors.
"The simulation will allow us to collect cognitive and physical performance data to give us more insight into the potential impacts of long-duration missions to Mars on crew health and performance," said Grace Douglas, CHAPEA principal investigator. "Ultimately, this information will help NASA make informed decisions to design and plan for a successful human mission to Mars."
NASA is establishing a long-term presence on the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. Knowledge gained on and around the Moon will help send the first astronauts to Mars in the future.
The participants were selected through NASA's 2021 call for applicants.