Living on Mars: Volunteers Begin Year-Long Stay in NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat

Four volunteers have moved into Mars Dune Alpha, a 3D-printed habitat designed by BIG for NASA's CHAPEA program. The volunteers, consisting of a research scientist, an engineer, a science officer, and a medical officer, will spend one year living and working inside the structure to evaluate its feasibility for long-duration missions to Mars. The simulation will help NASA gather data on cognitive and physical performance, resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays, and other environmental stressors. The habitat was 3D-printed by Icon and is located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.