Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog facts for kids
The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) is a special project by NASA. It helps them get ready for real missions to Mars. CHAPEA involves a series of three practice missions. The first mission started on June 25, 2023. These missions happen inside a large building at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. To make it feel like a real Mars trip, there's a 22-minute delay in communications. Also, resources are limited, and sometimes equipment "breaks down" on purpose. The crew even does simulated spacewalks.
The Mars Home
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The special home for the crew is called Mars Dune Alpha. It's a 1,700-square-foot area built using a 3D printer. This design helps NASA test what a real home on Mars might be like. Inside, there are living areas for the crew, a place to exercise, a work room, and a recreation area. There's also a special section for growing plants. The crew has successfully grown peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables there.
The outside of the habitat looks just like the surface of Mars. It has cliffs in the background and red soil on the ground. On a real Mars mission, this red soil could be used to 3D print buildings. To go from inside the main building to the "Mars surface" outside, crew members use an airlock.
The Missions
The CHAPEA project includes three different missions.
CHAPEA 1
NASA started looking for people to join CHAPEA 1 in 2023. They needed applicants who were:
- A permanent resident or citizen of the United States.
- Between 30 and 55 years old.
- Experienced, either with 1,000 hours flying a jet or two years working in a STEM field.
- Able to pass a special NASA health exam for long space missions.
- Highly educated, with a master's degree in STEM, or similar advanced studies.
The first CHAPEA mission began on June 25, 2023. Four crew members lived inside Mars Dune Alpha. They were Kelly Haston, a research scientist and the mission's commander. Ross Brockwell, a structural engineer, was also part of the team. Nathan Jones, an emergency medicine doctor, and Anca Selariu, a microbiologist, completed the crew. This mission ended on July 6, 2024. It lasted for 378 days.
CHAPEA 2 and 3
The second CHAPEA mission started in the Spring of 2025. Applications for this mission were open from February 16 to April 2, 2024. The third and final planned CHAPEA mission is set to begin sometime in 2026.
See also
- MARS-500
