Four volunteers will soon be sealed inside an imitation Mars habitat on Earth, simulating a year-long mission to the Red Planet ahead of the real deal. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

On October 19, the volunteers will step foot inside their new home and not emerge until Halloween 2026, 378 days later. The study is the second of three planned simulations of living on the surface of Mars, part of NASA's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission.

The crew – which this year includes a pilot and a hardware engineering design consultant – will take on astronaut roles of flight engineer, medical officer, science officer, and commander while they stay in their 3D-printed, 158-square-meter ( 1,700-squar

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