This week on Aspiring Martians, we’re doing something special.

Just before the government shutdown, NASA worked with us to make sure we could sit down with members of the CHAPEA 2 crew — and two days after the hatch sealed, those interviews are now here.

The CHAPEA 2 mission officially began on October 19, 2025, when four volunteers — Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, Matthew Montgomery, and James Spicer — entered NASA’s Mars Dune Alpha habitat at Johnson Space Center in Houston. For the next 378 days, they’ll live and work as though they’re on Mars, facing communication delays, isolation, limited resources, and simulated spacewalks — all to help NASA understand how humans might live and thrive on the Red Planet.

In this exclusive double episode, Joe speaks first with Matthew Montgomery, CHAPEA 2’s Science Officer — a hardware engineer from Los Angeles whose work spans robotics, lighting systems, and controlled environment agriculture. Then, in part two, Joe talks with James Spicer, the mission’s Flight Engineer — a technical director with deep experience in spacecraft systems, satellite communications, and aerospace design.

Together, they discuss how their love of science and exploration began, what it’s like to commit to a full year of isolation, how they see the future of Mars exploration, and what keeps them motivated when the sky overhead is simulated and Earth is just a signal delay away.

It’s an inspiring look at the people helping pave the path to Mars — from inside a habitat built for the future.

A huge thank you to Matthew and James for joining me today and sharing their insights and imagination, to Kelsey over at NASA for coordinating all of this, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this journey — even when the dinner table becomes a Mars landing debate.