The team gathered for a group photo after the University of North Dakota (UND) space studies department tour. Image courtesy of Santiago Arceneaux.
Living inside a space analog habitat is easy to imagine from the outside. There are structured schedules, research objectives, simulations, and carefully designed procedures meant to mirror future missions to the Moon or Mars. What is much harder to understand – until you experience it firsthand – is how profoundly human the experience becomes once the habitat doors close.
In September 2025, the three of us spent 14 days living and working inside the Integrated Lunar and Martian Analog Habitat (ILMAH) at the University of North Dakota.
We were part of the American Public University System Analog Research Group’s AARG9i mission. Courtney served as the crew commander, and Maya and Fouad were mission specialists.
We started this mission with different backgrounds and expectations. However, all of us shared a mixture of excitement, uncertainty and curiosity about what daily life in isolation would feel like.
Our experience was not just a simulation of spaceflight conditions and building on the research done in previous missions, but a continuous lesson in routine, flexibility, teamwork, and emotional awareness. It was shaped as much by small, everyday moments as by formal research tasks.
Training for the AARG9i Mission
The days before ingress were busy and structured. The mission readiness training sessions filled our schedules as we reviewed research protocols, learned habitat systems and clarified crew responsibilities.
These early days provided us with the space to ask questions and identify discrepancies that could cause miscommunication, increase our workload. We also provided overall clarification on anything before the start of the mission and began developing a shared understanding of how closely our individual work would be connected once the mission began.
Touring the UND campus and learning about ongoing work in spacesuit development, autonomous systems, and related space studies research helped place the AARG9i mission in context. It was clear that ILMAH did not operate as an isolated experiment, but as part of a larger research and education ecosystem. The interest and encouragement we received from UND faculty and staff reinforced the importance of our mission and the responsibility we carried as participants.
Even with thorough preparation, we acknowledged that our training could only take us so far. While the mission procedures made sense on paper, applying them consistently in a closed, shared environment would require adaptability. We felt prepared, but also aware that the real learning would begin only after ingress.
Entering ILMAH
Ingress day marked a sharp transition from preparation to reality. Final briefings, equipment checks and last conversations outside the habitat carried additional weight, knowing they were the final moments before isolation began.
The environment leading up to ingress felt surprisingly formal, with observers and a YouTube® camera present. It was a reminder that space missions often involve external attention long before deployment.
When ILMAH’s door finally closed, the shift was immediate. External noises disappeared, and natural light was replaced by artificial illumination. Now, we faced the reality of remaining inside for two weeks.
The rest of ingress day focused on orientation. We unpacked, reviewed our schedules, clarified mission workflows and adjusted to the physical constraints of the habitat. These adjustments included coming to the realizations that:
- We were going to live in ILMAH for 14 days without outside interactions.
- Freeze-dried food was now the norm.
- Sunlight was a luxury.
Despite extensive training, our routines required modification, and even simple movement through the interior of the habitat felt strange. Productivity was secondary; our acclimation to ILMAH was the priority.
Settling into the AARG9i Mission
The first few days inside ILMAH were defined by adjustment. While schedules guided our day, they required refinement as we learned how long tasks took and how easily small disruptions could become bigger problems. Communication became essential, particularly when we coordinated shared spaces, equipment and workloads.
Team dynamics developed rapidly. Although we all had assigned tasks, collaboration became the norm.
We supported one another during high-load periods and stepped in when someone’s fatigue became noticeable. These early patterns of cooperation established trust and laid the foundation for a sustainable mission.
Without natural light or other external cues, we experienced the passage of time in a different way. Our days were marked by tasks, meals, and reporting cycles, rather than sunrise or sunset. Learning how to pace ourselves, mentally and physically, became as important as completing individual objectives.
As the mission progressed, daily life inside ILMAH settled into a steady rhythm. Each day included research tasks, data logging, reporting, maintenance and cleaning.
With no separation between work and living spaces, there were no traditional off hours. Everything happened within the same environment, requiring a constant awareness of our energy and focus.
As our routines became familiar, larger responsibilities often felt easier to manage. In contrast, smaller recurring tasks demanded more mental effort over time.
For instance, certain tasks required attention and consistency, such as:
- Charging devices (such as laptops) that were used to conduct our research
- Wearing monitoring equipment like the Garmin® watches used in a stress study
- Charging the GoPro® devices used during EVAs
- Completing check-ins
- Repeating identical procedures such as measurements to determine spirulina and duckweed growth
Shared meals and maintenance routines became important anchors in our day. These moments offered brief pauses from work and reinforced the idea that sustaining ILMAH was a collective responsibility. Over time, the routine became less restrictive and more stable, helping regulate our workload and morale.
Conducting Research During the AARG9i Mission
Research formed the backbone of the AARG9i mission, but conducting experiments inside a closed habitat changed how that work felt. Some days were productive and engaging; others were slow or frustrating. Tasks that were normally straightforward took on greater weight under isolation, fatigue and accountability.
One research effort focused on the psychological effects of space mining through repetitive tasking. We completed rover-based simulations under fixed time constraints and participated in activities intended to mimic EVA collection of the rocks and minerals on the Moon or Mars. Over time, the repetition of activities became stressful, which influenced our motivation, mood and decision-making.
During the mission, Maya did research on space mining for her master’s thesis capstone. “This research is crucial to building ethical policies to keep space safe and sustainable for everyone,” Maya says.
The research that Courtney conducted during this mission was centered around EVA suits and how the physical fatigue from these suits would affect astronauts. This information could potentially lead to development of a better spacesuit design that would maintain or increase the health of astronauts.
“I have always been interested in anything space-related. As I was going through my courses, I started to wonder how EVA suits affected the astronauts not only when they are in space, but when they train with them on the ground.
“This research during the AARG9i mission helped me to understand more about how EVA suits impact astronauts. It also but has also created a different line of thinking regarding how someone is affected by working in different apparatuses required in certain lines of work.”
Other projects required the consistent monitoring of biological systems. Our plant-based research emphasized patience and regular attention rather than constant intervention. It demonstrated how crew members experience different forms of labor in confined environments.
Throughout our mission, it became clear that research could not be separated from human factors. Our fatigue affected mental focus, stress shaped our communication, and our morale influenced productivity. We adapted by adjusting our roles, sharing coping strategies and supporting one another.
Dealing with Stress during the AARG9i Mission
A less visible challenges of the mission was the cumulative mental stress. Many tasks were simple in the isolated environment of ILMAH but completing them day after day required deliberate effort and patience. Over time, simple activities such as nightly digital check-ins or device maintenance became mentally draining because they had to be completed every day.
Boredom occasionally crept in during the AARG9i mission. Managing the occasional stress and boredom required communication, reminders of when certain tasks needed our attention, and perseverance. To prevent small lapses from becoming larger stressors, we made sure to support each other despite the fatigue.
Our experiences reinforced the importance of designing long-duration missions that account for sustained attention and cognitive fatigue, not just the physical demands of being in space.
Caring for Plants
An unexpected source of stress relief during the AARG9i mission came from plant care. We conducted various experiments with:
- Greenery
- Spirulina algae
- Duckweed
- Herbs
- Microgreens
Caring for the plants introduced moments of calm into our environment. Also, time spent near the plants provided sensory grounding through color, scent and routine.
These moments offered emotional relief on challenging days and underscored the psychological value of living systems in confined environments. Plant research became more than data collection; it became a stabilizing presence in our daily lives in ILMAH.
Coping with ILMAH’s Isolation
The isolation of ILMAH affected each crew member differently, but the passage of time wasn’t always the greatest challenge. Once our routines were established, focusing on one day at a time proved more effective than looking too far ahead.
Leaving ILMAH
Leaving ILMAH was unexpectedly disorienting. Stepping outside after two weeks indoors felt overwhelming due to the sensory input from sunlight, wind, and the vivid colors of the external world. It was a powerful reminder of what had been absent from our lives during isolation.
Emotionally, leaving the habitat was more difficult than anticipated. Although we were ready for fresh food and open space, we were not entirely ready for the mission to end. The shared rhythm and close collaboration had become familiar in ways we had not expected.
Lessons Learned from the AARG9i Mission
The AARG9i mission was not simply about simulating physical spaceflight conditions. It was about understanding how people adapt when their routines, systems and emotions intersect in a closed environment. Our mission reflected the importance of teamwork, flexibility and attention to the human experience of long-term isolation.
We also gained lasting insight into how broad and interconnected the space enterprise truly is. Missions like AARG9i depend not only on the crew inside the habitat, but on the many individuals working behind the scenes to make the experience possible.
As we completed final cleanup and prepared to depart, it was clear that the AARG9i mission had left a lasting impression on all of us. The knowledge we gained during this experience will inform future research, outreach and participation in analog missions.
Above all, living and working in ILMAH reaffirmed one essential truth. Space exploration is not only an engineering challenge; it is also a human one.
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Garmin is a registered trademark of Garmin Switzerland GMBH.
GoPro is a registered trademark of GoPro, Inc.
About the Authors
Fouad Louik is a graduate of American Public University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in space studies with a concentration in astronomy.
Fouad served as a Mission Specialist on the AARG9i analog mission. He is currently employed as an Education Champion with PRACTICE, supporting student learning and engagement in educational settings.
Maya Hall is a graduate of American Military University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in intelligence studies with a concentration in cyber. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in space studies with a concentration in space policy at AMU.
Maya served as a Mission Specialist on the AARG9i analog mission and is currently serving on active duty in the United States Air Force. Upon completion of her program, she plans to shift to space policy-related government work.
Courtney Pulley is a graduate of American Military University and holds a bachelor’s degree in sports and health sciences with a concentration in exercise science. As crew commander, she participated in the AARG-9i mission at ILMAH and the ECOS mission at Concordia Language Villages.
For both missions, her work involved studying the fatigue on astronauts created by the use of EVA suits. Her work experience includes cryotherapy, rehabilitation and Chinese medicine.
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