NASA has a plan to help spaceflyers cope with profound isolation during the two-year round trip.

"...one of the biggest concerns for Mars-bound spacefarers might be preserving their sanity, and that of their crew mates, while they’re cut off from every single other person on Earth," writes MACH.

"...Former astronaut Jay Buckey, now a physician [and adjunct professor of engineeering] at Dartmouth, is less concerned with how NASA monitors rising stress levels than what happens next. He has been testing a virtual reality simulator to ease astronauts’ feelings of isolation. He is also working on interactive computer games to help them overcome anxiety and depression."