NASA Volunteers Locked in Virtual 'Mars' for 378 Days to Study Human Behavior.

Four NASA volunteers have begun a 378-day mission in a ground-based simulation of Mars, the first of three year-long Mars surface simulations. The crew will live and work in a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot habitat, simulating the challenges of a human mission to Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure, and communication delays. The crew will carry out different types of mission activities, including simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, and habitat maintenance. The quartet was selected from a pool of applicants to be part of NASA's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog.