Space travel One year on Mars: Nasa simulation ends

After just over a year, four volunteers have completed a Nasa experiment on the possibility of life on the planet Mars. The first mission of the so-called "Chapea" program ended on Saturday (local time) in Houston, Texas.

The two women and two men left the 160 square meter Mars simulation site on Saturday. The project makes it possible to "learn important things about complex systems, and it will make the journey to Mars and back much safer," said the technical director of the US space agency Nasa, Julie Kramer. She announced further similar "Chapea" missions for 2025 and 2027.

The Nasa experiment was designed to last just over a year: Four people lived on the Nasa site for 378 days. The windowless "Mars Dune Alpha" was created using a 3D printer. The volunteers were not allowed to leave it.

The visibly moved test astronauts appeared before the cameras with short messages before they were allowed to return to their families.