Do you have the “right stuff” to live on Mars for a year? If your answer is yes, then here is a chance to prove it. NASA has issued an open call for four candidates to live and work in the CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration) Habitat next year .
The four selected candidates will be the primary crew, and two will be selected as alternates. You won’t be actually living on Mars, but inside a simulated Martian habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.
The Habitat
Known as Mars Dune Alpha, the brown (a pretty depressing color in my book) 3D-printed habitat will feature 1700 square feet of working and living space. According to NASA, The 3D printed habitat will include private crew quarters, a kitchen, and dedicated areas for medical, recreation, fitness, work, and crop growth activities, as well as a technical work area and two bathrooms. If you’ve ever been cooped up with kids on a rainy day, you know all those rooms packed into 1700square feet is not a lot of space, but how would it be living with three strangers for a year? That’s probably why “behavioral health performance” is part of the study.
What Candidates Will Be Doing
NASA says the simulated mission will kick off in April 2025 and include simulated spacewalks, which in this case is an excursion into a big red sandbox just outside of an airlock. (Sorry, no neutral buoyancy swimming pools here.) Mars Dune Alpha simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental stressors. Crew tasks include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop growth. You’ll also fill your days with science and technical experiments, but at the end of the day, remember you ARE the experiment.
Bill Stafford/NASA
So What’s This Worth To Me?
So what do you get in exchange for this exciting adventure vacation? Well, we’re not sure, even though NASA says there will be compensation discussed during the application process. Hopefully, it will be pretty good, considering this 24/7 job has some pretty lofty applicant requirements.
What Are The Requirements?
NASA is looking for applicants who are healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, 30-55 years old, and proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control. 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. And, oh yeah, just a couple of other things:
- A master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical or computer science from an accredited institution with at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft is required.
- Candidates who have completed two years of work toward a doctoral program in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, completed a medical degree, or a test pilot program will also be considered. With four years of professional experience, applicants who have completed military officer training or a bachelor of science degree in a STEM field may be considered.
NASA lists the latter requirements as standard NASA criteria for astronaut selection. More information about CHAPEA can be found on the NASA website.
So, ready to apply? You can start by filling out an application at https://chapea.nasa.gov/ .
