NASA to host crew on fake Mars base for a year

By Dean Murray

A UK-born woman may be about to go to Mars for a year - at least in simulated form.

Laura Marie is on the alternate crew list to live for 378 days inside a fake Mars base habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Four research volunteers will enter the 1,700-square-foot Mars Dune Alpha habitat on October 19 to live and work like astronauts.

The primary crew include Ross Elder, a major and experimental test pilot in the United States Air Force, and Ellen Ellis, a colonel and an acquisitions officer in the United States Space Force.

Laura Marie is one of two picked to replace any drop-outs during the CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) mission.

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Born in the United Kingdom, Laura Marie immigrated to the U.S. in 2016. She is a commercial airline pilot with over 2,800 flight hours, specializing in flight safety, and currently operating passenger flights in Washington.

Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a Master of Science in aeronautics from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. In addition to her Airline Transport Pilot License, she also possesses flight instructor and advanced ground instructor licenses.

NASA said: "Outside the flight deck, Marie dedicates her time to mentoring and supporting aspiring pilots as they navigate their careers."

The CHAPEA mission aims to help inform NASA's plans for human exploration of the Red Planet.

The 3D-printed habitat simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental stressors.

Crew tasks include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop growth.