Chapter 2: Would You Survive a Year on Mars? NASA is looking for volunteers to simulate the experience

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) opened a call for recruitment four volunteers For the next simulated mission to the surface of Mars. This exercise will last for approximately 12 months. It is scheduled for spring 2025 and will collect health, physical performance, and behavioral data that will be useful in shaping the agency’s plans related to human exploration on the Red Planet.

The ground mission is the second in a series of three missions known as CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, Each of these explorations involves a crew of four people who live and work in the so-called mars dune alpha

, a 1,700-square-foot residence printed with 3D technology. The simulator is located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. It is composed of four private rooms for residents, workspaces, a medical center, kitchen, common living rooms, and areas for growing and storing food.

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The environment replicates potential resource limitations, equipment failures, communications delays, and some of the environmental stresses that might be experienced by astronauts who would be sent to explore the surface of Mars. Volunteers will be required to perform specific tasks including spacewalks with spacesuits, robot operations, habitat maintenance tasks and physical exercises. Their diet would be based on dehydrated products and limited batches of fresh food, supplied by infrequent cargo resupply missions.

NASA will monitor the CHAPEA 2 crew with cameras located inside the habitat. Like astronauts in Earth orbit, the crew will hold private conferences with medical professionals to monitor their mental and physical health. They will also fill out surveys about their mood and temperament. The crew will be able to stay in touch with friends and family, but while they will be able to send and receive video messages and emails, real-time interaction with them will be impossible.

Requirements to Participate in a Simulated NASA Mission

The crew will be selected based on the criteria that NASA sets for people who intend to become astronauts. It is requested that candidates be US citizens or permanent residents of that country. They should be between 30 to 55 years of age, healthy, non-smoker and proficient in English. Must have a recognized master’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects from a certified institution. Demonstrate at least two years of professional experience in STEM fields or a minimum of 1,000 hours of experience piloting an aircraft.

Candidates who have completed two years of work toward a STEM doctoral program will also be considered; Those who have a medical degree, and who have completed a test pilot program. Also those who have military officer training or a degree in hard sciences. “Applicants must have a strong desire to experience unique and rewarding adventures, as well as an interest in contributing to NASA’s work preparing for the first human journey to Mars,” the agency says.

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The call will be open from 16 February to 2 April of the current year. The agency indicated that it would financially compensate volunteers participating in the mission, although it did not provide further details.

The first CHAPEA mission is underway. Participants enter Mars Dune Alpha on June 25, 2023. He is expected to conclude the trial on July 6. The crew has participated in a series of missions simulating inversions that might occur on the surface of Mars. The team has been able to harvest their first crops in captivity, which include tomatoes, peppers and leafy vegetables.