Volunteer Crew to Exit NASA's Simulated Mars Habitat After 378 Days

Volunteer Crew to Exit NASA’s Simulated Mars Habitat After 378 Days

by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 03, 2024

The four volunteers who have been living and working inside the space agencys first simulated yearlong Mars habitat mission are set to exit their ground-based home on Saturday, July 6. the space agency will provide live coverage of the crews exit from the habitat at the space agencys Johnson Space Center in Houston at 5 p.m. EDT.

the space agency will stream the activity, which will include a short welcome ceremony, on the space agency+, the space agency Television, the the space agency app, the agencys website, and the space agency Johnsons X and Facebook accounts. Learn how to stream the space agency TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The first Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission began in the 3D printed habitat on June 25, 2023, with crew members Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, and Nathan Jones. For more than a year, the crew simulated Mars mission operations, including Marswalks, grew and harvested several vegetables to supplement their shelf-stable food, maintained their equipment and habitat, and operated under additional stressors a Mars crew will experience, including communication delays with Earth, resource limitations, and isolation.

In addition to the CHAPEA crew, participants include:

+ Steve Koerner, deputy director, the space agency Johnson

+ Kjell Lindgren, the space agency astronaut and deputy director, Flight Operations

+ Grace Douglas, principal investigator, CHAPEA

+ Judy Hayes, chief science officer, Human Health and Performance Directorate

+ Julie Kramer White, director of engineering

Due to facility limitations and crew quarantine requirements, the space agency is unable to accommodate requests to attend the event in person. Media interested in speaking with the missions crew members in the days following the conclusion of their mission must send a request by 4 p.m. July 6, to the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or [email protected].