Today we take the next step towards a self-sustaining Mars colony.

Who are these people who want to take one-way trips?

They don't like it here on Earth. Are they the adventure types?

Are they the people who want to die young? What is...

Who are these people?

Have you ever wanted to go to Mars, life on there wouldn't be easy.

So I got to make water and grow food on a planet where nothing grows.

It turns out though that plenty of people do want to visit the red Planet and four are already there.

So far on our mission, I've reported monthly to this audio log that we're doing great.

And the really good news is we continue to really do great.

Well at least they are as close to Mars as you can get without leaving Earth.

I worry that that's boring to people, but I actually think that us feeling relatively happy and really just moving along well in the mission is such a

good sign and such a delight for me that I can't help but report it to you all.

So I feel like that's really great.

That is the audiologue of Kelly Haston.

She's one of four volunteer crew members currently living in NASA's 1,700 square foot simulated

Mars Habitat. They entered in June of last year and they will

emerge in July of this year. And I'm not saying that it hasn't been tough and we

haven't had our challenges in our first six months.

But of course, the second half is, you know,

happily on the way home on the downhill,

but it's also still going to be tough.

...