British pilot will train with NASA to spend more than a year in a Mars simulation

NASA is preparing its second year-long Mars mission rehearsal in Houston under their CHAPEA program. Four volunteers will live and work inside a 3D-printed habitat that measures about 1,700 square feet.

The goal is to learn how people can stay healthy, productive, and steady when help from Earth is not immediate.

NASA’s Mars CHAPEA program

The work is led by Grace Douglas, the principal investigator for the program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Her research focuses on space food systems and human performance across long missions.

NASA calls the effort CHAPEA, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, and the program overview sets the plan for yearlong surface simulations. CHAPEA is an analog – a controlled Earth simulation of space conditions.

The habitat is a 3D-printed testbed, not a movie set. It includes sleeping quarters, a kitchen, work areas, exercise gear, and a small indoor garden.

Crews will simulate Mars walks, robotic tasks, and day-to-day maintenance. An extravehicular activity – a spacewalk conducted outside the habitat – will be practiced in a nearby sandy yard.

Preparing for Mars latency

On Mars, radio delay can reach about 20 minutes one way. Real-time back-and-forth is off the table.

That delay is called latency – the wait time for signals to travel between two points. Longer latency forces crews to solve problems without quick advice from mission control.

A NASA paper concluded that increasing delay in Mars missions pushes more safety-critical decisions onboard. The crew must detect issues, choose a response, and act before ground teams can weigh in.

Training for this reality matters. CHAPEA builds habits and procedures that work when conversations with Earth move at the pace of patience.

Daily routines on Mars CHAPEA

The daily plan blends operations and science. People will repair hardware, run experiments, and keep the habitat in good shape.

Health is not left to chance. Exercise, sleep tracking, and regular checks serve as countermeasures, routine steps that reduce known risks to the body and mind.

Food is also central, both for nutrition and morale. Fresh greens from the indoor garden help balance shelf-stable meals on a yearlong menu.

Tools under evaluation support daily life when resupply is slow. Water systems, medical diagnostics, and simple robotics are on the list to test and refine.

Human challenges of Mars

A recent review mapped lessons from Earth-based space analogs. It points to teamwork, communication style, workload, and sleep as levers that shape performance over months.

Isolation changes how people think and feel. Clear roles, fair schedules, and steady feedback help crews keep trust when days blur.

Light and timing matter too. A stable circadian rhythm, the internal 24-hour clock that guides sleep and alertness, supports memory, mood, and judgment.

Food diversity supports both health and morale during long Mars missions. The right mix reduces monotony, keeps nutrients steady, and gives crews something to look forward to at the end of a long shift.

British pilot, big commitment

A British-born pilot, Laura Marie, will train alongside the four primary crew as an alternate and prepare for a 378-day rotation.

Alternates for the Mars CHAPEA program commit to the same schedule and standards and step in if a seat opens. The approach keeps the mission on track without lowering the bar.

She is joining a team that has already spent time together during selection and training. Shared time before the door closes helps people align on rules, routines, and tone.

Personal hobbies help fill off-hours and reset focus. Small goals, like solving a Rubik’s Cube faster each week, offer a useful mental break.

How NASA defines progress

Success will show up in small, specific wins. Fewer task errors under delay, smoother handoffs between roles, and quicker fault isolation all count.

It also looks like better menus and storage that keep nutrients stable for a year. Food variety that still fits mass and shelf-life limits is a real step forward.

NASA wants to refine how much authority sits with the crew during time-critical moments. More practical autonomy, the ability to operate independently, reduces risk when the clock runs faster than the radio.

CHAPEA feeds directly into the playbook for future NASA crews on the Moon and Mars. The outcome is a tighter plan for people, tools, and schedules when distance sets the rules.

Mars, CHAPEA, and the future

Space analogs like CHAPEA are not only about testing equipment – they’re about shaping the people who will use it.

Training in isolation, working through delayed communication, and solving problems independently teach habits that extend far beyond the habitat walls.

These skills will become essential for astronauts who must adapt quickly on the Moon, Mars, or deep space missions where help from Earth comes too late.

NASA also views CHAPEA as a classroom for engineers, scientists, and mission planners. Every challenge faced by the crew helps refine the technology and protocols for future explorers. 

From communication interfaces to life-support systems, each result provides a data point that improves the next generation’s odds of success when humanity truly leaves Earth behind.

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