NASA's four-member Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) crew concluded its simulated Mars journey on Oct. 31, 2026, according to the agency. Members Matthew Montgomery, James Spicer, Ross Elder and Ellen Ellis spent more than a year inside the habitat.

During the mission, the crew tested systems, maintained crops, managed limited resources and communication delays, and conducted extravehicular activities, NASA said. The agency said the work is intended to help it better understand how crews adapt to long-duration stays.

NASA said insights from the crew's experiences will help it design its future Moon Base and plan for missions on Mars. A photograph credited to NASA/James Blair shows the four crew members posing outside for the first time in more than a year.