NASA is looking for volunteers who will live in a Mars simulator for a whole year (10 photos + 1 video)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is looking for volunteers for a special mission to the Red Planet. They will live and work on an “artificial Mars” for a year.





Last Friday (February 16), NASA announced it was looking for candidates for another year-long mission to simulate life on the surface of Mars. This mission is expected to help collect information useful for planning actual human missions to Mars in the future.

This is the second of three missions that are part of the CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) program. CHAPEA missions are ground-based simulations designed to replicate the problems of a real mission to Mars.



The mission, scheduled for spring 2025, will have a crew of four volunteers. They will live and work in a 158 square meter habitat. m called Mars Dune Alpha, located at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.





The artificial Mars will consist of a 3D-printed habitat designed to mimic the conditions and challenges that astronauts would encounter on a real planet, such as limited resources, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stresses.



The volunteer crew will perform a variety of tasks, including simulating spacewalks, operating robots, maintaining habitats, exercising and growing crops.



According to NASA, there are some conditions required to be selected for this special galactic mission.



They are looking for healthy, motivated US citizens or permanent residents of the country, non-smokers, aged 30-55, who speak English for effective communication between crew members and the dispatcher, the agency said in an official statement. Additionally, applicants are required to have “a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and an interest in participating in NASA’s efforts to prepare for the first human journey to Mars.”



In addition, all applicants must meet NASA's criteria for astronauts. Specifically, have a master's degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, biology, physics, or computer science from an accredited institution. In addition, they must have at least two years of professional experience in a STEM field or at least a thousand hours of aircraft piloting experience.



Volunteers will receive monetary compensation, but the amount of the payments has not yet been announced, NASA officials said.



CHAPEA missions provide additional critical scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions for future missions to the Red Planet. CHAPEA's first crew and its first year-long mission are still more than halfway through their journey.



NASA is using research gained from simulation missions to help future expeditions to Mars.