← Wednesday 28 Octobernote 10 of 10
Astronomy and spaceflightWed 28 Oct 2026 · 10 of 10

NASA’s CHAPEA Crew Ends 378‑Day Mars Simulation

Partly verified · 0/6 supported1 cited · 1 min read

nasa.gov reports that four volunteers completed a 378‑day simulated Mars mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and will exit the habitat on Oct. 31 . nasa.gov reports that the mission is called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) . nasa.gov reports that data from the simulation will be used to develop methods to mitigate human spaceflight risks for Artemis and Moon Base missions . nasa.gov reports that NASA will provide live coverage of the exit ceremony at 3 p.m. EDT on Oct. 31, streamed on YouTube and social media . nasa.gov reports that Johnson Center Director Vanessa Wyche, astronaut Jack Hathaway, and crew members Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, James Spicer, and Matthew Montgomery will give remarks, and media can watch on a screen outside the hangar and meet a subject‑matter expert afterward .

Why it matters. The data will help NASA develop methods to counter human spaceflight risks for upcoming Artemis and Moon Base missions, benefiting future astronauts .

Earlier on Astronomy and spaceflight

Tue 27 Oct 2026NASA inspects NEO Surveyor sunshade ahead of launchnasa.gov reports that NASA’s Near‑Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor includes a large sunshade structure mounted on an assembly ring. nasa.gov reports that the sunshade was inspected in a clean room at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in July 2026. nasa.gov reports that the sunshade stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall, is 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide at its base, and consists of two flat panels joined at a 23.5‑degree angle covered with 864 solar cells that can produce up to 2 kilowatts of power. nasa.gov reports that the structure was built by Applied Aerospace in Stockton, California, the solar cells were installed by SolAero Technologies in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January, and environmental testing was completed at a commercial thermal‑vacuum facility in El Segundo, California, in March. nasa.gov reports that the sunshade was delivered to BAE Systems ahead of schedule in May and that, when in space, NEO Surveyor will search for hard‑to‑find asteroids and comets, including those near the Sun where ground‑based telescopes have difficulty.Tue 27 Oct 2026NASA releases 360-degree view of Neretva Vallis captured by Perseverancenasa.gov reports that Perseverance’s Mastcam‑Z captured 217 images on May 20 2024 (sol 1155) to produce a 360‑degree view of Neretva Vallis. nasa.gov reports that the valley now appears as a wind‑swept dusty landscape but was a river channel billions of years ago that fed fresh water into Jezero Crater. nasa.gov reports that Arizona State University leads Mastcam‑Z operations, working with Malin Space Science Systems and the Niels Bohr Institute on instrument design, fabrication, testing and calibration targets. nasa.gov reports that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages the Perseverance rover.Mon 26 Oct 2026APOD Highlights Dark Matter Simulation and Rising Focus on Dark Energynasa.gov reports that the Astronomy Picture of the Day for 2026‑10‑25 features a computer‑simulated dark matter map with black filaments and orange clumps of baryonic matter. nasa.gov reports that dark matter is the leading explanation for rapid galaxy rotation, fast galaxy‑cluster orbits, strong gravitational lensing, and the distribution of visible matter. nasa.gov reports that such computer simulations produce statistical matches to astronomical observations. nasa.gov reports that dark energy, not dark matter, is now considered the strangest source of gravity in the universe. nasa.gov reports that the image originates from the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium Space Show titled “Dark Universe”.