Environment Modelling
Mars-accurate canyon landscapes were developed with stratified terrain, rock formations, and elevation changes consistent with known Martian geology
NASA CHAPEA: Visualizing the Martian experience
NASA’s program, named CHAPEA, simulates Mars’ surface mission conditions for astronaut training and research. NASA simulates this experience within a habitat made using 3D printing and within the Johnson Space Center, training astronauts to survive long periods of time. To advance spacewalk training realism, NASA needed an immersive Martian environment that could be convincing at every visual level. We created a photorealistic landscape that fully surrounded crew members in an authentic Mars experience while simultaneously enabling psychological research into the challenges of long-duration space exploration.
Client
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Aerospace Visualisation
2021
CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) is a NASA research program that studies human performance on extended space missions. The simulation is hosted inside the 3D-printed "Mars Dune Alpha" habitat in Houston, where crew members live in isolation, conducting simulated spacewalks, VR exercises, crop science, and maintenance under conditions that exactly replicate the Mars ecosystem.
Development Challenges
Creating a continuous, high-resolution visual environment across multiple curved sections, designed for seamless integration on a large-format inflatable structure
Designing visuals that aligned accurately across curved sections while obscuring structural interfaces to maintain immersion
Replicating Mars terrain using Perseverance Rover reference imagery while matching color profiles to physical Mars-analog sand
How Afterconcept delivered this solution
Photorealistic Visualisation
A high-resolution rendering pipeline was optimized to maintain visual continuity, lighting consistency, and realism across all cyclorama sections at print-ready resolution
Large scale print ready assets
Delivered 110+ linear feet of high-resolution imagery at 300 DPI, ready for industrial-scale printing.
Solution
Designed for Mission-Scale Simulation Requirements
Conceptualization
From Canyon Floors to Martian Skies: Replicating the Red Plane
The environment was designed to support psychological immersion during long-duration Mars mission simulations, focusing on depth, scale, and environmental realism rather than decorative elements. Photorealistic Mars canyon and valley imagery was refined through multiple validation cycles, incorporating geological reference data, lighting calibration, and seam-aware composition strategies
Photorealistic Environment Creation generated a Mars-accurate canyon landscape
3D cyclorama model mapping to validate imagery fit across the curved
3D Visualisation preview of deployed environment
Product Visualisation
Ideas to Life in 3D
Capabilities Demonstration
In-Habitat Immersion Support
The deployed cyclorama imagery enhances environmental realism during simulated EVAs, supporting NASA’s psychological research on crew health and performance.
Long-Duration Mission Readiness
The environment has been used across multiple year-long CHAPEA missions, contributing to higher-fidelity Mars surface analog simulations.
Advanced Geometric Modeling
Expertise in visualizing and validating complex curved surfaces across multiple positions to ensure precision and reliability.
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