NASA's CHAPEA crew 'returns' to Earth after spending 378 days in simulation of mission to Mars
During the year-long mission, Elder, Ellis, Spicer and Montgomery conducted spacewalks, grew crops, tested systems, managed limited resources and communication delays, conducted extravehicular activities and more, NASA said.
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After 378 days living in a habitat to simulate a mission on Mars, the four-person NASA CHAPEA crew "returned" to Earth on Halloween.
NASA's Crew Health And Performance Analog Exploration (CHAPEA) is a series of missions that simulate year-long stays on the surface of Mars.
The 1,700-square-foot CHAPEA habitat contains individual living quarters for four volunteer crew members. (NASA/Bill Stafford / NASA)
On Oct. 19, 2025, James Spicer, Matthew Montgomery, Ellen Ellis and Ross Elder entered the habitat which is supposed to replicate exactly what a mission to Mars would be.
On Halloween 2026, they got to emerge for the first time, re-entering the "real world."
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10-31-2026 Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) Mission 2 Crew Egress Ceremony (NASA/James Blair / NASA)
The CHAPEA missions are analog missions whose results will help NASA inform future planning for missions to the Moon and Mars, including the risk of the planned exploration food system design in relation to crew health and performance and resource-risk trades for long-duration exploration missions.
During the year-long mission, Elder, Ellis, Spicer and Montgomery conducted spacewalks, grew crops, tested systems, managed limited resources and communication delays, conducted extravehicular activities and more, NASA said.
After emerging, "The crew was greeted by family, friends, and the NASA teams behind the mission—and got to bask in the Sun for the first time in over a year!" NASA's Johnson Space Center said in a Facebook post.
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Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) Mission 2 crew members (from left) Ross Elder, Matthew Montgomery, Ellen Ellis, and James Spicer, pose for a photo on Oct. 8, 2025. (NASA)
The 1,700 square foot, 3D-printed habitat used for the CHAPEA missions includes private crew quarters, a kitchen and dedicated areas for medical, recreation, fitness, work and crop growth activities, as well as a technical work area and two bathrooms.
NASA livestreamed the crew walking out of the habitat for the first time since entering 378 days prior, with remarks made by all four crew members.
While inside the habitat, the crew missed some of NASA's most recent biggest accomplishments, including Artemis II and the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
April 1, 2026: NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launches the Artemis II crew to the moon. (Brandon Moser / Getty Images)
NASA SEEKS RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS TO SPEND A YEAR ON A SIMULATED MISSION TO MARS OR THE MOON
Earlier this year, NASA sought volunteers for their next analog mission, which is set to begin no earlier than August 2027.
NASA said this upcoming mission will combine elements of CHAPEA and HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) missions to simulate multiple parts of a mission to the Moon or Mars.
The first CHAPEA analog mission began on June 25, 2023, and ended on July 6, 2024.