NASA is preparing for its longest analog Mars mission yet. Starting later this year, four civilian volunteers will be sealed inside a 1,700-square-foot habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for 378 days to simulate life on the Red Planet. The mission is scheduled to end on Halloween 2026.
The simulation is part of NASA’s CHAPEA program (Crew Health Performance Exploration Analog) and will test the physical, psychological, and social effects of extended space missions on humans. The volunteers are not astronauts, but they will undergo rigorous routines — including strict water rations, limited fresh food, and 22-minute communication delays that mirror real Mars missions.
Inside the habitat, they’ll face challenges similar to those expected on Mars: isolation, equipment failures, food storage constraints, and behavioral stress. NASA hopes that this immersive experience will help them gather crucial insights before sending actual astronauts to the Red Planet, possibly in the late 2030s.
Though the volunteers won’t leave Earth, they’ll give us a better understanding of what it might take to live on another planet — both physically and emotionally.