Living on Mars wasn't exactly a childhood dream for Canadian biologist Kelly Haston, though she'll soon spend a year preparing for just that.

"We are just going to pretend that we're there," the 52-year-old said, summing up her participation in an exercise simulating a long stay on the planet.

At the end of June, she will be one of the four volunteers stepping into a Martian habitat in Houston that will be their home for the next 12 months.