China’s “lunar palace” research project has broken the world record for the longest time humans have spent living in a closed environment, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

A team of eight university students from Beihang University in Beijing spent a total of 370 days in the 150-square-meter simulated moon base. The lab was designed as a self-sustaining ecosystem of plants, animals, and microorganisms, and the project’s aim was to monitor and record the participants’ physical and psychological responses to living in a closed environment.

Originally slated to last 365 days, the project was extended for an additional five days as a psychological test of how the participants would react to unforeseen circumstances. The previous record of 180 days was set by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. (Image: IC)