An Air Force test pilot will lead a four-person NASA crew living for a year inside a simulated Mars habitat as the space agency gears up for future long-term flights.

The crew will also include a Space Force officer who oversees spy satellites. A Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet pilot was picked as an alternate for the mission.

“This mission will provide NASA with foundational data to inform human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” the agency said in a release.

Air Force Maj. Ross Elder and Space Force Col. Ellen Ellis will be paired with two civilians as the crew of a year-long Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA mission. The four will enter an isolated, Mars-like habitat known as Mars Dune Alpha inside NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this Oct. 19 and wi

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