Unlike, say, training to be a cage fighter, training to go to Mars requires a substantial suspension of disbelief. But that has not stopped scores of people from participating in simulations that re-create Mars on Earth in attempts to better understand and prepare for the challenges of one day sending humans to the red planet.

Often set in dusty, remote locations, these so-called Mars analogs often feature lifestyle choices meant to approximate humanity’s journey to the next planet over: There’s a 20-minute communications delay (so, no phone calls); meals made of freeze-dried yummies or carefully grown crops; limited water supplies; and don’t you ever, ever leave the habitat without a spacesuit on—otherwise, the toxic “Martian” atmosphere will