Image of a space station and astronauts on Mars

This is one artist's idea of what a future base on Mars may look like.

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Mars on Earth

A team of volunteers is taking us one step closer to landing on the Red Planet—without leaving Earth.

February 19, 2024
By Rebecca Zissou

As You Read, Think About: Would you want to spend a year on Mars? Why or why not? 

Last summer, Nathan Jones packed his bags for a year-long mission on Mars. Well, not exactly. He didn’t actually leave Earth. Jones is one of four volunteers who are living in a specially built base at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. 

The goal of the mission, known as CHAPEA, is to simulate what a long stay on Mars would be like. The team is helping NASA, the U.S. space agency, prepare to land the first astronauts on the Red Planet in the 2030s.

“It makes me really proud to think that I am helping humans get to the real Mars,” Jones says.

Nathan Jones packed his bags last summer. He was leaving for a year-long mission on Mars. Well, not exactly. He didn’t actually leave Earth. Jones is part of a team of four volunteers. They are living in a specially built base at the Johnson Space Center. That’s in Houston, Texas. 

The mission is known as CHAPEA. Its goal is to simulate what a long stay on Mars would be like. The team is helping NASA, the U.S. space agency, prepare to land the first astronauts on the Red Planet in the 2030s.

“It makes me really proud to think that I am helping humans get to the real Mars,” Jones says.

Josh Valcarcel/NASA – Johnson Space Center

Nathan Jones (second from left) with the CHAPEA crew

Building a Base

A real mission to Mars would start with a journey that could take about nine months. Astronauts would have to bring nearly everything they’d need, since they wouldn’t be able to rely on deliveries from Earth. One of their first tasks would be using a 3-D printer and other tools to build their home base. 

Though the CHAPEA crew isn’t traveling to the Red Planet, NASA is trying to simulate the experience as closely as possible. Their base resembles what one on Mars might look like. It was even built using a 3-D printer. It has four small bedrooms, two bathrooms, workstations, and more. The base is smaller than half the size of a basketball court.

A real mission to Mars would start with a long journey. The trip to the Red Planet could take about nine months. Astronauts wouldn’t be able to rely on deliveries from Earth. So they would have to bring nearly everything they’d need. One of their first tasks would be using a 3-D printer and other tools to build their home base. 

The CHAPEA crew isn’t traveling to Mars. But NASA is trying to simulate the experience as closely as possible. Their base resembles what one on Mars might look like. It was even built using a 3-D printer. The base has four small bedrooms. It also has bathrooms, workstations, and more. The base is smaller than half the size of a basketball court.

NASA/CHAPEA crew

Nathan Jones wears a spacesuit as he explores the “sandbox.”

A Year on Mars

NASA/CHAPEA crew

The crew uses special gloves to study rocks collected from the Martian sandbox.

The CHAPEA team is dealing with many of the same problems a crew would on Mars. Astronauts who travel to the Red Planet would be stocked with packaged goods that could last for years. But fresh fruits and vegetables wouldn’t survive the trip, so the astronauts would have to grow their own. In November, the CHAPEA crew managed to harvest its first crop of tomatoes and lettuce. 

Communicating with the outside world is a challenge too. If Jones or another team member has a question for NASA, they have to wait more than 40 minutes for a response. That’s how long it would take to send messages back and forth between Mars and Earth. 

NASA didn’t re-create the brutal outside conditions on Mars, where the average temperature is a frosty -81 degrees Fahrenheit. But the CHAPEA base does have a large enclosed “sandbox” for the team to explore. They also walk for miles on treadmills while wearing virtual reality headsets that display images of the Martian landscape. Before these “Mars walks,” they put on spacesuits—just as real astronauts would on Mars. 

The CHAPEA team is dealing with many of the same problems a crew would on Mars. Astronauts who travel to Mars would bring packaged goods that could last for years. But fresh fruits and vegetables wouldn’t survive the trip. So the astronauts would have to grow their own. The CHAPEA crew harvested its first crop of tomatoes and lettuce in November. 

Communicating with the outside world is a challenge too. If Jones or another team member has a question for NASA, they have to wait more than 40 minutes for a response. That’s how long it would take to send messages back and forth between Mars and Earth.  

NASA didn’t re-create the brutal outside conditions on Mars. The average temperature on the Red Planet is a frosty -81 degrees Fahrenheit. But the CHAPEA base does have a large enclosed “sandbox” for the team to explore. They also walk for miles on treadmills while wearing virtual reality headsets. The headsets display images of the Martian landscape. They wear spacesuits during these “Mars walks,” just as real astronauts would on Mars.

NASA/CHAPEA crew

After a long day, the crew unwinds with a game of Ping-Pong.

Far From Home

NASA is closely monitoring the CHAPEA crew every step of the way. A big focus is on how the team deals with living in isolation for so long. NASA is also studying how the crew gets along with each other in such a small space. For Jones, the hardest part has been being away from his friends and family. 

“I really miss them,” he explains.

Still, Jones is grateful to be a part of the mission, which wraps up in July. He hopes to inspire kids to want to travel to Mars in the future.

“Maybe someone reading this could even go there someday,” Jones says. 

NASA is closely monitoring the CHAPEA crew. A big focus is on how the team deals with living in isolation for so long. NASA is also studying how the crew gets along with each other in such a small space. The hardest part for Jones has been being away from his friends and family.  

“I really miss them,” he explains.

Still, Jones is grateful to be a part of the mission. It wraps up in July. He hopes to inspire kids to want to travel to Mars in the future.

“Maybe someone reading this could even go there someday,” Jones says. 

NASA/CHAPEA crew

Jones gives a crewmate a haircut. There won’t be any barbershops on Mars!

1. Why does the author point out that the CHAPEA base was built using a 3-D printer?

2. The article says that the CHAPEA team is facing some of the same problems astronauts on Mars would face. Describe two examples.

3. What is the section “Far From Home” mostly about?

1. Why does the author point out that the CHAPEA base was built using a 3-D printer?

2. The article says that the CHAPEA team is facing some of the same problems astronauts on Mars would face. Describe two examples.

3. What is the section “Far From Home” mostly about?

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