From Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars, explore the world of human spaceflight with NASA each week on the official podcast of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Listen to in-depth conversations with the astronauts, scientists and engineers who make it possible.
On episode 411, the CHAPEA Mission 2 crew members record their first audio log just weeks after entering the Mars analog habitat, with added context from CHAPEA co-investigator Dr. Suzanne Bell on the science behind the mission. This episode was recorded December 18, 2025.
Transcript
Kenna Pell
Houston We Have a Podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center, Episode 411: CHAPEA 2: Audio Log 1. I’m Kenna Pell, and I’ll be your host for our series of CHAPEA Mission audio logs. On this podcast, we bring in the experts, scientists, engineers and astronauts all to let you know what’s going on in the world of human space flight and more.
Four humans are currently on Mars. Well, sort of. Four individuals are just a few months into a year-long analog mission in a habitat right here on earth that is simulating very closely what it would be like to live on Mars. This is the second analog mission for CHAPEA, or Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog. This isn’t so much a technology demonstration or a dress rehearsal for a human Mars mission. The primary purpose of the study is human research. The results of CHAPEA and the knowledge gained from the analog missions will allow NASA to understand trades between resources and health and performance risks, directly informing development of interventions or supports, NASA standards, resource requirements and associated vehicle mass and volume requirements for long-duration exploration missions.
We got a chance to chat with the crew before they began their journey on episode 404, and they shared their background and mindset of entering this habitat for a year. We’re lucky enough to have access to the crew quarterly throughout their journey, and they’ve promised to record audio logs about their experience.
On this episode, we hear from the CHAPEA crew for their first audio log a few weeks after they ingress into the habitat. And to add some context, we’re also bringing in Dr Suzanne Bell, CHAPEA, Co-Investigat …