NASA opens rare job opportunity to live in a Mars simulation for a year

Fri, 02/16/2024 - 17:16

The inaugural CHAPEA crew celebrates Thanksgiving inside the habitat. From left to right: Nathan Jones, Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell.

NASA/CHAPEA crew

NASA is seeking four people to live for a year in a simulated Mars habitat.
The agency wants healthy adults with a science degree or military or piloting experience to apply.
The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) starts its mission in spring 2025.

NASA can't send anyone to Mars yet, but it's seeking four people to pretend it did.

On Friday, NASA put out a rare call for applicants to spend one year in a simulated Mars habitat — and it's willing to pay. The agency is looking for healthy adults with science degrees or military or piloting experience.

three people in black wave in the doorway of a trailer sized building while a woman in blue claps — The current CHAPEA crew enters the habitat in Houston.
NASA

The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) is running a series of one-year "missions" where volunteers who can act as astronauts would in space — NASA calls them analog astronauts — live inside a 3D printed habitat in Houston, Texas.

NASA’s simulated Mars habitat — The living quarters inside the CHAPEA habitat include a conference area, a TV, and kitchen appliances.
NASA

The 1,700-square-foot space, called the Mars Dune Alpha, mimics the habitats NASA may one day build on Mars to shelter astronauts.

open doors to two identical bedrooms with twin beds, wood slat walls, and one strip overhead led light — The 1,700-square-foot CHAPEA habitat contains individual living quarters for four volunteer crew members.
NASA/Bill Stafford

The program's first four-person crew has been living in the structure since last July. NASA's reports on their progress hint at what the job is like: growing vegetables, simulating "Marswalks" in a sandbox, overseeing science experiments like those done on the International Space Station, and following a strict exercise regimen.

person kneels down in a black spacesuit with a helmet and oxygen backpack looking at a tripod in a room filled with red sand — A CHAPEA crew member participates in a simulated "Marswalk" inside a 1,200-square-foot sandbox to mimic the Martian landscape.
NASA/CHAPEA crew

Now NASA is seeking applicants for its second CHAPEA mission, to start in spring 2025.

What NASA wants in a simulation Mars astronaut

An artist's illustration of an astronaut on Mars waving at a camera. — An artist's illustration shows an astronaut streaming from Mars.
NASA/Lacey Young

NASA says it's looking for "healthy, motivated US citizens or permanent residents" aged 30 to 55, who are proficient in English and do not smoke.

Like space-faring astronauts, NASA wants its simulation astronauts to have a master's degree in a STEM field, with either two years of experience in that field or 1,000 hours of jet piloting.

mark kelly nasa astronaut jet pilot nasa jsc2010e119542_orig — Astronaut Mark Kelly prepares for a flight in a NASA T-38 trainer jet.
David Dehoyos/NASA

"Applicants should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA's work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars," the agency wrote in a statement.

mars human exploration settlement habitat astronauts martian — Artist's concept of astronauts and human habitats on Mars.
JPL/NASA

Applicants must also pass a criminal background check, psychiatric screening, and a medical evaluation to be eligible. After all, they're signing up for a year of extreme isolation in close quarters with three other people and a highly regimented schedule.

The door for the airlock room is seen inside the Mars Dune Alpha, NASA's simulated Mars habitat, being used as preparations for sending humans to the Red Planet, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, U.S. April 11, 2023. — The door to the airlock room in the CHAPEA habitat
REUTERS/Go Nakamura

The application offers further hints at the nature of the job, asking questions like: "Are you willing to consume processed, shelf-stable spaceflight foods for a year with no input into the menu?" and "Are you willing to go for extended periods of time (up to two weeks) with no or very limited contact with family and friends?"

three chapea crew members stand around a table with snacks below a happy birthday banner while one opens a package — The CHAPEA crew celebrates Ross Brockwell's (left) birthday inside the habitat.
NASA/CHAPEA crew

It also describes monthly blood, urine, stool, and saliva tests, restricted access to social media, and 20-minute delays in communications with anyone outside the habitat.

Food allergies, dietary restrictions, and gastrointestinal disorders are disqualifiers because CHAPEA can't accommodate them, according to NASA. Certain medications like blood thinners and sleeping aids are also disqualifiers.

A NASA spokesperson told Business Insider via email that pay for CHAPEA participants is "consistent with compensation for people participating in other analog missions," but did not provide further details.

Applications are open until April 2 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

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NASA opens rare job opportunity to live in a Mars simulation for a year