EXCLUSIVE: This is life on Mars - Six 'astronauts' marooned in a tiny capsule on a red wasteland, eating powdered food, only allowed outside in spacesuits and no Skype or DailyMail.com (but it's really Hawaii)

• DailyMail.com has had exclusive access to the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog Simulation which is designed to mimic life on Mars
• Six 'astronauts' are spending a year in a dome just 36 feet wide and are only allowed out wearing spacesuits
• They eat dried food and are slowly growing their own vegetables in greenhouses - but do get regular deliveries from Amazon Prime
• Communications have 24 minute delay to mimic distance from Earth to Mars and there is no internet - so no Skype and no DailyMail.com
• Crew tell DailyMail.com they want to be astronauts in real life after they have completed their year in isolation

By Ryan Parry West Coast Correspondent On Mauna Loa, Hawaii For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:49 EST, 18 September 2015 | Updated: 14:50 EST, 18 September 2015

The land is barren and devoid of life. Thick cloud creeps slowly across the black rock and envelops a white dome, which punctuates the alien landscape. 

For a second it's easy to imagine you're standing on another planet or maybe on the set of upcoming Hollywood film .

But this is not Mars or a movie set – it's an abandoned quarry 8,200ft up the side of a dormant volcano that's as similar to the Red Planet as one could imagine. 

Daily Mail Online visited the isolated spot on Mauna Loa in Hawaii where six scientists are holed up to begin their year-long mission. 

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Earth calling: The Hi-SEAs project is in an environment which could pass for Mars - bleak, windswept, devoid of life and entirely cut off 

Cratered: The volcanic rocks surrounding the pod  are not unlike a Martian landscape - although the atmosphere is not like that on Mars, which would not support human life

Sacrifices: The 'astronauts' simulate how life wold be on Mars, with one of the downsides being that there is no web access - meaning no DailyMail.com in space as Andrzej Stewart demonstrates. But there are home comforts - as he still has the most British of drinks, tea.

We were given exclusive access to the secret location where the crew will spend 365 days inside a solar-powered dome to help NASA researchers learn what space travelers would encounter while on Mars. 

It's the fourth and longest mission by the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog Simulation (HI-SEAS). 

'The longer each mission becomes, the better we can understand the risks of space travel,' Kim Binsted, HI-SEAS principal investigator, said at mission launch on August 28. 

The six crew in isolation, three men and three women, are Sheyna Gifford, Tristan Bassingthwaighte, Carmel Johnston, Andrzej Stewart, Cyprien Verseux and Christiane Heinicke. 

Confined to a dome 36ft wide with a living area of about 1,000 square feet, the team is only allowed to venture outside when wearing NASA spacesuits, just like future astronauts on Mars will have to do. 

To prevent claustrophobia, the dome has a 20ft high ceiling and is tiered in two floors. 

Regular exercise keeps them fit, with routines such as the P90X home fitness system and yoga often used and a schedule of experiments and maintenance jobs keeping them busy. 

And during the project, as would happen in real life on Mars, the delay that would be experienced by real-life astronauts is simulated by a 24-minute time delay to all communication back 'home'. 

The rooms, meanwhile, are six 'pie-slice-shaped staterooms' are basic with a mattress, desk and stool. 

And to make sure they had sufficient access to supplies, the crew was given a 3D printer to make things they may have forgotten. 

Power is supplied by a huge solar panel outside the dome, while a hydrogen fuel cell provides back-up power in the case that levels run too low. 

No-contact zone: Visitors are strictly discouraged from getting close and ruining the isolation. Daily mail Online was exclusively allowed past the barrier

Cargo: The astronauts rely on deliveries of the sort of dry and powdered foods which they would be expected to take to Mars and have their greenhouse to grow extra. Their first crops are still a few weeks from harvest

In an alien land: Daily Mail Online's Ryan Parry gets to inspect the dome and its immediate habitat up close

Our guide up the mountain was local coffee farmer Gary Strewn, a volunteer on the project who regularly helps take supplies to the isolated habitat. 

The 45-minute drive up Mauna Loa must be taken in a 4x4 due to the rugged terrain and the first hint of the NASA project is a 'Restricted Access' sign which dangles from a padlocked chain across the track. 

Gary says it's to keep out nosey tourists or unwanted trespassers. The dome even has its own camouflage cover to limit visibility from a distance. 

As we approach the habitat Gary urges us to keep our voices down. 

'The crew are supposed to be in complete isolation so it's best they don't hear human voices,' he explains. 'Okay,' I whispered. 

I help Gary unload several boxes of supplies from his truck and we carry them to the rear of the dome where it's left outside the 'airlock' for the crew to collect. 

We also remove bags of trash and broken down boxes and a crate of items the crew no longer needs.

The supply drop includes food, ranging from canned tuna and powdered cheese' and other essential items, and all the boxes were marked with Amazon Prime logos.

Gary says that while the project is designed to closely mimic conditions on Mars the mission is given some leeway when it comes to supplies. 

'It's more of a social study,' he says. 'So we regularly deliver food, empty the sewage tank and refill their water supply.

Do not disturb: The supplies are delivered in absolute silence - unless Matt the space dog barks.

Almost entirely isolated: The porthole is one of only two, both of them covered up to give the impression of the lack of light which would be found on Mars, because of its greater distance from the Sun

Supplies: Some of the regularly delivered foodstuffs

'Our visits have to be scheduled with the crew and we tell them the deliveries will be made by robots.' 

As we approach the dome I can hear voices and a treadmill through the thin walls. Two small portholes on the dome are covered so the crew can't see any 'humans'. 

'They will have heard our truck coming up the hill so they know we are here,' Gary said. 'But we tell them beforehand to expect a robot delivery. 

'As you can hear we have them take turns on the treadmill. It's an important part of space travel to stay fit.' 

Gary's dog Matty joins us on the visit and he sniffs at the perimeter of the habitat. And for a second the facade of being 140million miles away from any known life is shattered. 

'Oh my God there's a dog outside,' comes a female screech from inside the dome. Everybody freezes and Gary calls Matty the 'space dog' away from the hab. 

We creep around the habitat trying not to make any further noise and take some photos. Various pipes can be seen in the rock and the sewage and water tanks visibly jut from the ground. 

Just over a steep mound of rock outside the dome is a small triangle 'greenhouse', installed by the crew to experiment in growing vegetables. 

Matty the 'space dog' has a good sniff at the small futuristic greenhouse before doing his business near to the dome's entrance - the first dog poop on Mars. 

Full view: When the weather lifts it is possible to see more of a human landscape - but the volunteers are still totally isolated

A member of a previous mission practices getting outside the Mars station in better weather

Austere: The inside is designed to maximized the feeling of space for the inhabitants, with high ceilings and as much light as possible. On the upper level are the tiny bedrooms

Sleeping quarters: Each bedroom is tiny with room for little more than a single bed and limited storage

Outside venture: This is the only way the crew can leave for the whole year which they spend in the dome.

During their stay in the dome, the crew are being monitored with methods including body movement trackers, cameras and electronic surveys. 

University of Hawaii Mānoa researchers will be observing and studying the group's cohesion over time. 

They will gather data on a range of social, emotional and cognitive factors that might impact their performance. 

Daily Mail Online sent several questions to the crew on 'Mars' to find out how they are getting on. 

We were interested to know why six intelligent people would want to live in isolation in a tiny space, in uncomfortable proximity to other people, and eat a poor selection of food for such a long period of time. 

The questions were answered by Sheyna Gifford, CMO and Crew Journalist, Andrzej Stewart, Chief Engineer and Carmel Johnston, HI-SEAS Mission IV Commander and beamed back to our team. 

Asked whether there had been any mishaps since the mission began almost two weeks ago the crew joked that despite the first EVA – Extra­Vehicular Activity or spacewalk – being performed by an 'Englishman and a Frenchman', the operation was 'completed without incident'. 

They added: 'We can leave the habitat as much as we need to perform our research and keep the habitat in good repair. 

'To leave the habitat on an EVA – Extra­Vehicular Activity – we submit a request for approval from mission control and don spacesuits.' 

The crew said the next 365 days are going to be tough but everyone is 'upbeat'. 

'A year is one of those things you can't quite wrap your head around,' they said. 'Everyone is very upbeat at present. 

'Stresses are bound to set in at some point, but the days are so jam-­packed that they seem to be flying by. 

'Astronauts are a motivated bunch; simulated astronauts, no less so.' 

The mission is certainly designed to make the crew feel as isolated as possible. 'We won't see any people besides our fellow crew members, and won't leave the habitat unless we're wearing spacesuits. 

Barren - and tiny: Just how small the pod is is apparent from the rocky ground above it in this exclusive Daily Mail Online picture 

Life inside: The pod has a kitchen area for food preparation. No fresh fruit or vegetables are on the menu until their crops are ready 

Power needs: The electricity is supplied by solar power - and batteries have to be carefully preserved 

'Perhaps one of the greatest contributors to the realism is the barren red landscape we see out of our two small portholes. 

'All of these contribute to a very real feeling of isolation, separation, and sensory deprivation.'

The crew have settled in well and have completely organized the habitat, implemented water saving and reuse methods, found ways to recycle some of their discarded items, and meticulously metered their power consumption. 

'We've been working hard to get settled in. We all have research to attend to, both personal and for the mission. 

'To boot, reconstituting and cooking food takes substantially more time than cooking normal food. 'On top of that, we all exercise daily, individually and as a group. In the spare time we do have, we're all practicing our personal hobbies and sharing them with the group.' 

To keep occupied the crew has a 'mountain' of board games and video games, two crew members are learning to play the ukulele and Christiane is excited to teach the group salsa dancing. Tristan is planning to dish out drawing lessons and the crew plans to redecorate the dome to their own taste. 

Crew Architect, Tristan Bassingthwaighte revealed a photo of himself in a NASA space suit posed up next to an interior wall made to look like a TARDIS from hit British TV show Dr Who – an artistic gift from a previous crew. 

And Andrzej Stewart, Chief Engineer sent another snap to Daily Mail Online with him holding up a message which read: 'No DailyMail.com on Mars! Sadface (hi mum!)'

The crew reveals they also have 'literally gigabytes of visual media', including such space-­based classics as Galaxy Quest, Interstellar, and of course Total Recall, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film based on Mars. 

Of course keeping fit burns through time, and the crew enjoys group yoga sessions. 

The habitat does not have internet access but the crew can communicate over email to friends and family. 

But the 24-minute simulated delay makes the crew feel even more separated from home. 

Each day is tightly scheduled with various tasks and duties to carry out.

Composting and grey water recycling will cut down on the amount of waste the crew generates and they say they have implemented some additional methods beyond what was already in place in the habitat. 

'If it can be used for anything, we'll find a way,' the crew said. 

Although the crew is effectively stuck in the dome for a year, they can leave if things get really bad, for example ill health or a family emergency.

As we get ready to leave the mountain side the buzz of the power feeding the down stops dead. 

The solar cells have run down and as darkness falls dead silence descends. 

'That's just another problem the crew must solve while they're out here,' explains our guide Gary. 'They're effectively on their own.'

Matty the 'space dog' hops back in to the truck and we head off. Mars mission out.

A DISPATCH FROM SPACE... WHAT THE ASTRONAUTS TOLD DAILY MAIL ONLINE ABOUT EVERYDAY LIFE ON 'MARS'

Food: The crew have made potstickers with their limited larder

EARLY BEDS, YOGA - AND INVENTIVE COOKING 

Our day is closely tied to the times the Sun is charging the solar panels. 

We tend to go to bed and rise early. Our various responsibilities during the day include research, cooking, cleaning, and communicating with ground control. 

We have a wide variety of foods to choose from, most of which are dehydrated or freeze­dried. 

We'll have fresh foods to enjoy once our plant growth experiments start producing in a few weeks. 

Also, having a doctor on our crew who's interested in our health has encouraged us to actively pursue healthy eating decisions.'

'Tristan, the space architect, has a really great sense of humor. 

At times, during workouts and yoga, the crew has to fight uncontrollable laughter to remain upright.

NO SKYPE BUT A QUILT TO REMIND US OF HOME

Real­time methods of communication like Skype wouldn't be possible on Mars. 

They have been blocked here to keep our simulation as realistic as possible.

Each member of the crew has brought their own mementos and gifts from home, including photos of family and friends. 

Our crew architect brought a quilt made by his grandmother. Our commander brought a flag from her home state.

NO EARLY WAY OUT - AND FAMILIES UNDERSTAND

It would take something extremely serious to convince any of us to leave.

As with any human research study, our participation is voluntary, and we can leave if we wish. 

However, we hope not to have to choose between our duties to the mission and our families over the next year.

WHEN THE HATCH OPENS... WE'D LIKE TO GO TO MARS

The six of us will be heading back into the lives we were leading before the mission started. 

For example, our architect and astrobiologist are in the middle of their doctorate programs, and will return to school. 

Our commander, a soil scientist, will be heading back into the field. 

Two of us who were working for NASA before are hoping to return to our careers, and continue to contribute to human spaceflight. 

As for what we will do immediately after the hatch opens, we expect to be spending time with our friends and family in the great outdoors. 

We're also looking forward to eating fresh food again, and seeing the color green.

Most of us are eager to become astronauts. All of us are excited to be working to make it possible for humankind to travel to Mars.

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