The CHAPEA mission 1 crew from left to right: Anca Selariu, Nathan Jones, Kelly Haston, Ross Brockwell (Credit:
​​​​​​Josh Valcarcel/ NASA)

On June 25, 2023, four Americans began their 378-day stay on a simulated version of Mars at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The mission, dubbed CHAPEA, or Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, is the first of three experiments planned by NASA. They are designed to test the mental and social challenges astronauts will face when they get to Mars.