Ever dreamed of living on Mars? NASA is offering the chance, in a manner of speaking. The agency is seeking volunteers for the second of three yearlong ground-based simulated Mars missions that involve shacking up in a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat with conditions that reflect those expected in a similar structure in space.
With its Chapea (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) missions, NASA aims to collect scientific data in advance of the day when humans have boots on the ground of the real Red Planet. NASA wants to observe, among other things, how Mars-realistic challenges such as equipment failures, communication delays and resource limitations impact space-faring humans and their physical and behavioral health.
“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,” NASA said in a statement. The first began on June 25, 2023, and the second is scheduled to kick off in the spring of 2025.
Each Chapea mission involves four crew members cohabiting in a combined living and work space called Mars Dune Alpha, located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Those selected for the missions participate in activities including simulated spacewalks in the sandbox, a domed facility outside the habitat that’s designed to look like the surface of Mars, complete with red dirt and fake Red Planet vistas. They spend their time remotely operating robotic vehicles to collect Mars samples and conduct aerial survey. And they exercise, grow crops, maintain the habitat (the Mars Dune Alpha isn’t going to clean itself, after all) and find creative ways to celebrate holidays and birthdays.
The Mars Dune Alpha has private quarters for each crew member, workstations, a medical station, common lounge areas, an exercise area, bathrooms (of course) and a galley kitchen and food growing stations. The structure’s layout separates living areas from workspaces.
For the second Chapea mission, the space agency is seeking non-smokers between 30 and 55 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and “proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control.” The deadline for application is Tuesday, April 2.
Do note, however, that it takes more than a spirit of adventure and a high tolerance for small spaces to be accepted into the selective Chapea program. NASA requires crew members to have a master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, math or biological, physical or computer science from an accredited institution and at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of a thousand hours piloting an aircraft.
NASA said it will consider candidates who have completed two years of work toward a STEM doctoral program or finished a medical degree or a test pilot program. Applicants who have completed military officer training or a bachelor of science degree in a STEM field and have four years of professional experience may also be considered.
Crew members currently living the simulated Mars life as part of the first Chapea mission include Kelly Haston, a research scientist; Ross Brockwell, a structural engineer; Anca Selariu, a US Navy microbiologist; and Dr. Nathan Jones, an emergency medicine physician.
A few months into Chapea 1’s yearlong mission, the crew spoke about life on faux Mars during a NASA podcast, sharing highlights, accomplishments, surprises and obstacles. “The communication with our families remains challenging,” Haston said, saying that the overall experience was going extremely well. “We only are able to communicate by email, and that takes time to transit to Earth and then come back.”
