(NEWSnet/AP) — Crew members of a NASA mission to Mars emerged from their craft on Saturday, after a one-year voyage that never left Earth.

Four volunteers, Kelly Haston, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones and Anca Selariu, spent more than 12 months inside NASA's first simulated Mars environment at Johnson Space Center in Houston. 

Haston, mission commander, began with a simple greeting.

“It’s actually just so wonderful to be able to say ‘hello’ to you all,” she said.

The group entered the 3D-printed habitat on June 25, 2023, as the maiden crew of the space agency's project, called Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog.

Jones, the mission's medical officer, said the 378 days in confinement “went by quickly.”

The quartet lived and worked within a space of 17,000 square feet, to simulate a mission to Mars.

The first CHAPEA crew focused on establishing possible conditions for Mars operations, through simulated spacewalks, growing and harvesting vegetables and maintaining the habitat and equipment.

They also addressed challenges a Mars-expedition crew would be expected to experience, including limited resources, isolation and delays of up to 22 minutes in communication with Earth, NASA said.

Two additional CHAPEA missions are planned.

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