The four crew members of NASA's simulated Mars mission have completed one year living and working in isolation inside a confined habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The experience replicates the conditions of a future crewed mission to the red planet, with the aim of studying how humans respond to prolonged cohabitation in a confined space cut off from the outside.

The simulation is part of the agency's preparations for long-duration missions to Mars, in which astronauts will have to live together for months without any possibility of an immediate return and with limited communications with Earth. Studies of this kind make it possible to analyse human factors —physical and mental health, group dynamics, stress and teamwork management— that are as decisive for mission success as the engineering of the spacecraft itself.

During their stay, the crew carries out operational tasks typical of a Mars mission, including simulated extravehicular activities, experiments and resource management inside the habitat. Prolonged cohabitation in a confined environment yields valuable data on how performance and well-being degrade over time, information that is difficult to obtain by other means.

The results of this and other analogue missions will help NASA design selection, training and psychological support protocols for the crews that, in the coming decades, undertake the real journey to Mars.