# He spent a year on ‘Mars’: NASA science officer emerges from mock mission

Source: [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03588-w) · 2026-11-09 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/he-spent-a-year-on-mars-nasa-science-officer-emerges-from-mock-mission-b6c37567d66be419
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- Engineer Matthew Montgomery finished a 378-day simulated Mars mission, part of NASA's CHAPEA program.
- He describes a two-week blackout during which he was out of contact with the rest of humanity.
- Nature published his account on 2026-11-09.

## Why it matters

Long-duration isolation studies like this one inform how crews may cope with communication delays and isolation on future missions to Mars.

## Versions

- CHAPEA Mission 2

## Timeline

- 2026-11-09: Nature publishes Montgomery's reflections after the 378-day simulated Mars mission

## Coverage

- [He spent a year on ‘Mars’: NASA science officer emerges from mock mission](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03588-w) — nature.com, 2026-11-09

Tags: mars, space-exploration, isolation, analog-mission, nasa

---

Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science