Recently, four volunteer crew members of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) project emerged after a year of living in a habitat replicating the Red Planet Mars.
A part of CHAPEA project, it was the first of three planned simulations to understand the challenges Mars poses for space explorers.
Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) is a series of analog missions that will simulate year-long stays on the surface of Mars.
Each mission will consist of four crew members living in Mars Dune Alpha, an isolated 1,700 square foot habitat.
During the mission, the crew will conduct simulated spacewalks and provide data on a variety of factors, which may include physical and behavioral health and performance.
Known as Mars Dune Alpha, the 3D printed structure located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX simulates a realistic Mars habitat to support long-duration, exploration-class space missions.
(Source: NASA)
