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This is one artist’s idea of what a future base on Mars may look like.
NASA
Space News
Mars on Earth
A team of volunteers is taking us one step closer to landing on the Red Planet—without leaving Earth.
As You Read, Think About: Would you want to spend a year on Mars? Why or why not?
Last summer, Nathan Jones began a yearlong mission on Mars. Well, not exactly. He didn’t actually leave Earth. Jones is one of four volunteers living in a specially built base at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The mission is known as CHAPEA. Its goal is to
“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) and his CHAPEA crewmates
Building a Base
An actual journey to Mars could take about nine months. One of the astronauts’ first tasks would be to use a 3-D printer and other tools to build their home base.
NASA is trying to simulate the Mars experience as closely as possible. The CHAPEA base resembles what one on Mars might look like. It was even built using a 3-D printer. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, workstations, and more. It 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
The CHAPEA team is dealing with many of the same problems a crew would face on Mars. Astronauts who travel to the Red Planet would have enough packaged goods to 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 has a question for NASA, he has 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 outside conditions on Mars. The average temperature there is a frosty -81 degrees Fahrenheit. But the CHAPEA base does have a large “sandbox” for the team to explore. The crew also walks for miles on treadmills. They wear virtual reality headsets that display images of the Martian landscape. Before these “Mars walks,” they put on spacesuits—just as 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 watching the CHAPEA crew. A big focus is on how the team deals with living in
“I really miss them,” he says.
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.
“Maybe someone reading this could even go there someday,” Jones says.
NASA/CHAPEA CREW
The crew uses special gloves to study rocks collected from the Martian sandbox.
NASA/CHAPEA CREW
Jones gives a crewmate a haircut. There won’t be any barbershops on Mars!
Close-Reading Questions
