NASA Seeks Volunteers to Spend a Year in Mock Moon and Mars Habitat
Looking for a new adventure? NASA is recruiting volunteers to spend a year in a simulated space habitat. Do you qualify? Read on for all of the details of this unique endeavor.
NASA Recruiting Volunteers to Spend One Year in a Space Simulation
NASA is offering a unique opportunity for Americans to live in an environment that simulates a deep space mission without having to leave Earth. The new program will give qualified volunteers the chance to spend a year in a secluded simulation designed to mimic space travel and interplanetary life.
The program is designed to provide data that the nation's space agency can use as they prepare to send humans back to the moon and Mars. The year-long program is scheduled to begin in August of 2027, but the agency is already getting the word out about the application process.
The simulation will take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Known formally as Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, the simulation will include two isolated habitats. According to NASA, one habitat will mimic a spacecraft while the other will be a base. The volunteers will be responsible for performing tasks that resemble future surface operations. Examples of these tasks include conducting mock walks on Mars and using a rover to explore sites beyond the primary space habitat.
NASA is launching the program in an effort to better prepare for future planned human missions under the Artemis program. Earlier in the year, four astronauts were launched into space under the Artemis II mission to circle the moon and gather data. Next up for NASA is the Artemis III mission, scheduled to send more astronauts to space in 2027. The primary goal of this mission will be to test docking capabilities using two commercial lunar landers.
Looking ahead to 2028, NASA is planning to attempt a historic moon landing as part of the Artemis IV mission. Should this plan come to fruition, it will be the first time in over five decades that a human has set foot on the surface of the moon.
NASA's ultimate goal is to build a home base on the moon by 2032. Astronauts could live and work at this base as NASA officials prepare for their next goal of sending crewed missions to Mars.
Do You Have What It Takes?
In order to qualify for the simulation, volunteers need to be between the ages of 30 and 55, although NASA said that there may be some exceptions given. The opportunity is only open to U.S. citizens or green card holders. Because of the constraints of the simulation, volunteers can be no more than 74 inches tall. Volunteers also must be proficient in English.
Lastly, the volunteers must adhere to the same basic qualifications needed to become an astronaut. This includes having at least a bachelor's degree in a field such as physical science, mathematics, or biology.
Four candidates will be selected from the field of applicants. The multi-day selection process will include NASA's comprehensive physical and psychological assessments.
It is not unusual for NASA to lean on these types of space simulations when preparing for new missions. The agency regularly uses these simulations as training exercises for its astronauts. For example, there are currently four volunteer researchers living in a Mars simulation. This project started last October and is expected to last for just over a year.
NASA said that the newly announced simulation will replicate life in a spacecraft traveling from Earth. The two-story and four-port habitat will include sleeping quarters, a living area, and a workspace. The surface habitat will only be one story and will mimic the conditions of a different planetary surface. This habitat will include crew quarters and a crop cultivation area. Because this habitat is designed to mirror Mars' surface walks, it will also include an airlock and a sandbox to replicate this situation.
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