The 45-day simulated mission to Mars’ moon Phobos began on Friday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA has sent four volunteer crew members on a simulated voyage to Mars within a ground-based habitat to investigate the isolation and confinement of exploration missions.

The volunteer crew, which included Jared Broddrick, Pietro Di Tillio, Dragos Michael Popescu, and Patrick Ridgley, entered the Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, which is “intended to serve as an analog for the rigors of genuine space exploration missions,” according to NASA.

The four guys were spotted entering the HERA structure before the door was formally locked and will not be opened until March 14, based on a video sent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center Twitter account.

As per the reports, the guys will have up to five minutes of delayed connection with the rest of the world while within the HERA structure, according to the agency. The purpose is to assist in the training of the crew and NASA coordinators in communicating under these conditions while guaranteeing a seamless operation.

Brandon Vessey, research operations and integration element scientist for NASA’s Human Research Program said “We’re learning more about how teams work in an autonomous environment with little interaction with Earth in this HERA campaign.”

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In line with NASA’s website, this is the second of four “Campaign 6” missions done by HERA to aid study into “behavioral and team performance of extended length missions.”

The campaign’s last mission will take place on Sept. 12, 2022. Individuals must be healthy, non-smokers, and aged between 30 to 55 years in order to qualify for the mission.

To be considered for the HERA crew, applicants must submit their resumes to Johnson Space Center’s Exam Subject Screening department and pass a medical and psychological test.

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