Are you looking to move to a very different area? How about a different planet? Would you prefer to try it out before making a permanent move? NASA may be able to help you. The NASA Mars simulation needs volunteers for a year-long experiment.
NASA is seeking volunteers for its second simulated Mars mission, Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA 2) [1]. During the mission, which kicks off in spring 2025, four selected crew members will reside in a 1,700-square-foot 3D-printed habitat in Houston. Applications are being accepted on the CHAPEA website until April 2. Although the crew will be paid, NASA hasn’t specified how much participants will earn.
Space Center
At NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Mars Dune Alpha habitat simulates the harsh conditions and limited resources that future explorers will face on the red planet.
The first CHAPEA mission is currently more than halfway through its 378-day assignment, with a crew living there and working there. Among other things, volunteers will maintain habitats and grow crops during their stay. For simulated spacewalks, the habitat also has a 1,200-square-foot sandbox attached.
Qualifications
The applicant must be between the ages of 30-55, speak English fluently, and hold a master’s degree in a STEM field, along with two years of professional experience, one thousand hours of piloting an aircraft, or two years of working toward a doctorate in STEM. There are some types of professional experience that may allow applicants without a master’s degree to qualify. As part of the program, NASA is planning three missions, the first of which started on June 25, 2023.
Notes:
- ^ {NASA is looking for volunteers to live in its Mars simulation for a year} (go back ↩)
