Four volunteers will settle in this 157-square-foot NASA residence in June, who will simulate life on the Red Planet for a year. This will help Prepare for human exploration of real Mars.

Mars Dune Alpha has a unique entrance. There is also red sand that simulates the Martian landscape, shoes that simulate walking on the Red Planet, and equipment suitable for experiments.

Simulation of Martian settlement Mars Dune Alpha / Photo by NASA

Volunteers will conduct a variety of experiments, including:

• Growing vegetables and greens under environmental stressors such as resource limitations, isolation and equipment failure.
• Spacewalk simulation.
• Promote habitat, environment and personal hygiene.
• Communicate with people outside the home with a long delay, as it will be during “Earth contact” in space.
• They will practice walking in gravitational conditions, as on Mars, which is much lower than Earth.
• They will interact with robotics.

Simulation of Martian settlement Mars Dune Alpha / Photo by NASA

Doctors will regularly monitor the volunteers’ health, and NASA scientists will examine residents’ waste to find out which ones can be reused for other similar missions.