NASA picks next 4 crew members for simulated Mars mission in Texas

Erin Anderson, Sergii Iakymov, Brandon Kent and Sarah Elizabeth McCandless are to begin their simulated trek to Mars within NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog -- or HERA -- at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Aug. 9, according to a NASA news release.

The volunteer crew of four will stay inside the 650-square-foot habitat for 45 days and exit Sept. 23 after a simulated return to Earth. Jason Staggs and Anderson Wilder will serve as "alternate" crew members.

This is part of the journey and process of NASA's ultimate goal in getting humans to Mars.

The HERA facility supports shorter-duration simulations in the same building as NASA's Crew Health and Performance Analog -- or CHAPEA -- which hosts a year-long mission for its crew and completed its first such earlier this month.

The federal space agency says HERA missions offer scientific insights into how people will react to the type of isolation, confinement, demands and remote conditions astronauts are likely to experience during a deep space mission aimed to take place at a later point in time.

This is the third and one of two other HERA missions to come this year. The first group completed its mission March 18 and the second crew began its mission May 10.

While in the simulated environment, the crew will live and work like astronauts on a deep-space mission, carrying out scientific research and operational tasks