Year-long Mars simulation begins as NASA locks volunteers in virtual base

Four volunteers have begun a 378-day simulation inside a NASA-designed Mars base to test the challenges of a real-life mission to Mars. The simulation, named CHAPEA 1, is being conducted in a 3D-printed habitat and will involve tasks such as spacewalks, robotic operations, crop growing, and habitat maintenance. The crew will face environmental stressors like resource limitations and isolation. This is the first of three planned Mars surface simulations, and the data collected will contribute to future Mars missions. The crew consists of a mission commander, a structural engineer, an emergency medicine physician, and a microbiologist, none of whom have been trained as astronauts.