Inside the NASA JSC Analogs with Dr. Grace Douglas & Dr. Brandon Vessey

In this month’s Inside the Habitat, I traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center to explore the agency’s human exploration analogs. From the year-long Mars missions of CHAPEA, to the behavioral research of HERA, and beyond to a look toward the future with the upcoming Moon and Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA).

First, I sit down with Dr. Grace Douglas, Principal Investigator for CHAPEA and NASA’s lead scientist for Advanced Food Technology. We discuss why NASA built Mars Dune Alpha, its remarkable 3D-printed Mars habitat, and how year-long missions inside are helping scientists study everything from food and exercise to crew health, performance, and daily life.

Then, I speak with Dr. Brandon Vessey about one of the most fascinating (and often overlooked) aspects of space exploration: people. We explore how NASA uses the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) to study teamwork, leadership, communication, isolation, and psychological resilience, and why understanding human behavior may ultimately be just as important as building better spacecraft.

Finally, Grace and Brandon take us inside what comes next: the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA), a new program bringing together elements of CHAPEA and HERA to help NASA prepare for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

From 3D-printed habitats and future food systems to isolation, team dynamics, communication delays, and life in confinement, this episode explores the surprisingly human challenges of preparing for deep space—and the places here on Earth where NASA is already putting them to the test.

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• Apply now for MMEA! https://analogstudies.jsc.nasa.gov/
• Learn more about CHAPEA: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/chapea/
• And HERA: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/hera/

A huge thank you to Dr. Grace Douglas and Brandon for takingtime out of their incredibly busy days to sit down with me for these conversations. I’d also like to give a very special thank you to Kelsey for coordinating all of the interviews, the logistics of bringing me onsite to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and for being such an incredible host throughoutthe visit. And to everyone at NASA who helped make this experience possible—thank you for opening your doors and giving us a glimpse into the incredible work being done to prepare humanity for life beyond Earth. And of course, thank you to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project—even when my “office” occasionally becomes MissionControl.