NASA to Simulate Year-Long Mars Mission with Four Researchers in Earth-Based Habitat
Four people will soon move into the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars (SAM) base, located at the University of Arizona Biosphere 2, to experience what it would be like to live in space. The SAM facility is fully pressurized and hermetically sealed, just like a real lunar or Mars base, and will be used for scientific research to improve future space habitat design and astronaut well-being. The outdoor portion is a fully enclosed but not pressurized yard, complete with rocks and soil similar to those on Mars, and will soon also have a harness system to simulate Martian gravity.