Mars simulation crew spent more than one year in isolation on Earth
Four NASA crew members have emerged after their lengthy Mars simulation with the mission commander declaring that putting humans on Mars is not only achievable but ‘inevitable’
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Growing up as the second space race unfolds, Gen Alpha will witness the next generation of astronauts landing not just on the moon but “inevitably*” on Mars. But it sure has been a while since NASA’s Apollo program successfully landed 12 astronauts on the moon. Beginning with Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong in 1969 and ending with Apollo 17’s Harrison Schmitt in 1972, those three years of last century’s “men on the moon” have yet to be repeated.
MARS ON EARTH
So what will it take to put astronauts walking on the surface of Mars?
Four crew members have just completed a simulated* mission to Mars, emerging after more than a year – 378 days – in isolation at the US space agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The simulation was designed to help astronauts to prepare for a possible future mission to Earth’s red neighbour.
“It’s been a hell of a year — analog* astronauts living in captivity of our own free will,” Colonel Ellen Ellis, the medical officer on the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA, mission, said after emerging with her three crewmates on Saturday November 1.
WHAT DID THE CREW DO?
The four entered the 158 sqm, 3D-printed habitat on October 19, 2025. Tasks such as growing crops in simulated Martian soil and interfacing with NASA officials filled their days, complete with in-built delays recreating the reality of interplanetary communications.
NASA’S BOLD AMBITIONS
NASA, already exploring Mars with robotic rovers and orbiting spacecraft, has ambitions for a human mission to Mars as early as the 2030s, with plans before that to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972.
“We have a narrowing window of opportunity to maintain US pre-eminence* in space,” Col. Ellis said.
Col. Ellis mentioned the service academy for space-related operations under President Donald Trump’s administration and plans for a lunar base.
“Let’s seize the initiative, lead with science that will benefit our economy and ensure our legacy in space for our children’s children,” Col. Ellis said.
The other crew members were mission commander Major Ross Elder, science officer Matthew Montgomery and flight engineer James Spicer.
“For Mars, the risks are great,” Major Elder said. “But through seeking understanding, strong vision and leadership, creativity, fortitude*, hard work and incredible foundation, the goal of putting humans on Mars is not only achievable, but rather inevitable.”
RECOVERY AND RESEARCH
The crew is nearly midway through two weeks of post-mission evaluations and debriefing with NASA scientists. NASA has said it was looking for insight into what it takes for astronauts to adapt to the routines and demands of daily life on long-duration missions beyond Earth to keep them healthy, productive and connected.
This was NASA’s second CHAPEA mission, with another four-person crew in isolation at Johnson Space Center for 378 days spanning 2023 and 2024.
Johnson Space Center director Vanessa Wyche greeted the crew members when they exited. Ms Wyche said they managed to live with limited resources, maintain their habitat and carry out simulated Mars operations.
Ms Wyche also noted how the crew dealt with the simulated interplanetary communications, with lag times between sending messages and receiving responses.
“These delays require patience, careful planning and greater independence — qualities that will be essential for future astronauts travelling millions of miles from home,” she said.
The lessons learned from the CHAPEA crew and their experiences will help pave the way for the missions first to the moon and “one day, Mars,” Ms Wyche said.
PERSEVERANCE BREAKS RECORDS
The simulation ended just weeks after NASA’s six-wheeled Perseverance rover set a new record for the longest distance driven by any vehicle on a world beyond Earth.
NASA announced on October 13 that the car-sized Perseverance has trekked 28.1 miles (45.2 km) since arriving on Mars roughly five and a half years ago, surpassing the distance previously set by another NASA rover, Opportunity, from 2004 to 2018.
Perseverance and Opportunity have both beaten the driving distances of any rover on the moon.
Perseverance, carrying a suite of scientific instruments, has searched for evidence of ancient microbial* life on Mars — a planet that long ago was wetter and warmer than the cold and desolate* place it is today — and collected rock and soil samples for a potential future return to Earth.
Introduction by Diana Jenkins. Other minor edits have been made to this story for Kids News. Reuters reporting by Will Dunham.
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POLL
GLOSSARY
- inevitably: cannot be escaped or avoided, or prevented
- simulated: artificial, imitation, a mock/practice environment created for safe practice
- analog astronaut: a researcher or a scientist who participates in space missions
- pre-eminence: the state of being ahead, superior, or more important than others in a field
- fortitude: showing courage over a long period of time
- microbial: relating to microbes which are small living things
- desolate: empty or abandoned, lonely
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QUICK QUIZ
- How many days did the crew spend in isolation?
- How is NASA already observing Mars?
- Who was the mission commander?
- What is the name of the rover that collected samples from Mars?
- What was the goal of the Mars simulation?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Challenges?
What would be the biggest challenges for the astronauts on the first Mission on Mars? Write a list of as many as you can think of.
Time allowed: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum links: English, Science, Health and Physical Education
2. Extension
‘There shouldn’t be a Space Race. Countries should work together on space exploration!’ Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write very convincing paragraphs answering this question.
Time allowed: Spend at least 30 minutes on this activity
Curriculum links: English, Civics and Citizenship, History
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read with Kung Fu punctuation
Pair up with the article between you and stand up to make it easy to demonstrate your Kung Fu punctuation.
Practise reading one sentence at a time. Now read it again, while acting out the punctuation as you read.
Read and act three sentences before swapping with your partner.
Take two turns each.
Now ask your partner to read a sentence out loud while you try and act out the punctuation. Can you keep up? Swap over?
Try acting out two sentences – are you laughing yet?