A British woman is preparing to spend the whole year on Mars – but without ever leaving terra firma.
Laura Marie, from Devon, will pass 378 days in a simulated version of conditions on Earth’s neighbouring planet, at Nasa‘s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.
The airline pilot, who immigrated to the US in 2016, is one of six selected out of a whopping 8,000 volunteers to take part in the American research.
They will grow crops, test technology destined for Mars and simply walk around in the 3D-printed Mars Dune Alpha habitat, measuring 158 square metres (1,700 sq ft).
The main crew of four – Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, Matthew Montgomery and James Spicer – are set to enter the experiment on October 19.
Ms Marie, meanwhile, is one of two ‘alternate’ participants, ready to take over should any of them need to drop out.
But she has said she will approach her training, which is set to start next week, as seriously as if she was to be the first in the door.
Despite her determined mindset, though, there is one particular home comfort the Brit said would be hard to leave behind – the Great Outdoors.
Laura Marie (pictured), from Devon, will pass 378 days in a simulated version of conditions on Earth’s neighbouring planet, at Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas
Participants will grow crops, test technology destined for Mars and simply walk around in the 3D-printed Mars Dune Alpha habitat (pictured), measuring 158 square metres (1,700 sq ft)
The main crew of four – Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, Matthew Montgomery and James Spicer – are set to enter the experiment (pictured) on October 19
‘I’m a big nature girl. I spend a lot of time outside,’ she confessed to the Guardian.
And in the conditions of airless space and barren Martian rocks, Ms Marie admitted she would miss feeling the wind in her hair – and the smell of grass.
This will be the second of three planned Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (Chapea) missions, gathering information for sending crews to Mars itself.
The first group of volunteers began their stay in the simulated habitat in June 2023, coming out in July last year after a successful mission.
Nasa hopes the research will provide data on how such an undertaking would affect an astronaut’s physical health, mind and performance.
The American space agency also aims to assess how best to adapt its space food provisions to the red planet.
Ms Marie, the first Brit to ever take part in a Chapea mission, said: ‘With science, you can’t just do something once.’
The Briton, who has a BA in philosophy and an MSc in aeronautics, confessed she had always dreamed of working with Nasa.
This will be the second of three planned Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (Chapea) missions, gathering information for sending crews to Mars itself. Pictured: The habitat
The first group of volunteers began their stay in the simulated habitat (pictured) in June 2023
Nasa hopes the research will provide data on how such an undertaking would affect an astronaut’s physical health, mind and performance. Pictured: The habitat
She spotted her chance after following the first mission in the news – and successfully went for it.
Given the rather close quarters the experiment involves, she said the final team spent a lot of time together as part of a robust 13-month selection process.
‘I’m not worried about any of the crew dynamics. I would happily lock myself in a box with all of them,’ she said.
And they really will just, mostly, have each other, with a communication lag in place to simulate what astronauts on Mars would experience trying to contact Earth.
It means there will be no live chat with mission control – an unusual feature for any astronaut, with even the International Space Station in constant touch with Earth.
The set-up leaves the team with plenty of downtime – which Ms Marie plans to use to learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube in a record-breaking time.
The Brit has also said she does not just wish to stop at a simulation – revealing she would take any chance to make a journey to the real deal.
With Nasa developing technology to facilitate such missions, it seems this dream may not just be the pilot simply having her head in the clouds.
The American space agency also aims to assess how best to adapt its space food provisions to the red planet. Pictured: The habitat
Ms Marie, the first Brit to ever take part in a Chapea mission (pictured, the habitat used for it), said: ‘With science, you can’t just do something once’
‘I think the whole multi-planetary species, it’s where we’re heading,’ she said.
‘And anything I can do to be a part of it – if it’s this [simulation], if it’s something else – I’m just happy to be involved.’
It comes after the advert seeking applicants for the trial of life on Mars came out in February last year.
The opportunity is not for the faint of heart, as the intrepid volunteers battle extreme isolation and separation from loved ones.
The futuristic building what will be their home for a year is meant to replicate the kind of structure humans will eventually build when they finally get to Mars.
Each participant is reportedly getting paid $10 for every waking hour they are inside the base – equating to around $60,000 in total.
‘The analog mission will be as Mars-realistic as feasible, which may include environmental stressors such as resource limitations, isolation, equipment failure and significant workloads,’ NASA said.
‘The major crew activities during the analog may consist of simulated spacewalks including virtual reality, communications, crop growth, meal preparation and consumption, exercise, hygiene activities, maintenance work, personal time, science work, and sleep.’
Mars Dune Alpha (pictured) has been built with a proprietary mix of concrete called ‘lavacrete’ which is layered to create a ribbed effect to the walls
Though inhabitants are isolated and unable to leave except in the case of a medical emergency, the temporary home (pictured) does have basic amenities
There are no windows to let in any sunlight – so occupants will be provided with vitamin D supplements. Pictured: The recreational area of the habitat
It even has an airlock which leads to an ‘outdoor’ reconstruction of the Martian environment complete with red sand. Pictured: The habitat
Mars Dune Alpha has been built with a proprietary mix of concrete called ‘lavacrete’ which is layered to create a ribbed effect to the walls.
Though inhabitants are isolated and unable to leave except in the case of a medical emergency, the temporary home does have basic amenities like a kitchen and two bathrooms, a shower and toilets, as well as a recreational area, complete with leather sofas and a TV.
But there are no windows to let in any sunlight – so occupants will be provided with vitamin D supplements.
A diet of pre-packaged provisions is supplemented by fresh salad and vegetables grown on ‘a vertical farm’ – in vertically stacked rows.
There is also equipment for fitness, including a rowing machine and a treadmill on which the volunteers walk suspended from straps to simulate Mars’ lesser gravity.
It even has an airlock which leads to an ‘outdoor’ reconstruction of the Martian environment complete with red sand, though this is still located inside the hangar where the facility is housed.
Various pieces of equipment are also scattered around the sandy floor, including a weather station, a brick-making machine and a small greenhouse.
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