NASA Offers Dream Job For Space-Lovers! A Year-Long Mars Simulation
NASA is seeking four people with dreams of Mars for a year-long simulated red planet experience.
NASA's CHAPEA Mission
NASA is looking for four individuals who are passionate about Mars to participate in a year-long simulated red planet experience called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA). The participants will be confined to a 158 square-meter habitat called Mars Dune Alpha, where they will face challenges such as limited resources, environmental stressors, and equipment failures.
During the mission, the crew will conduct simulated spacewalks and provide data on various factors, including physical and behavioral health and performance. CHAPEA principal investigator Grace Douglas explains that the analog environment allows for a realistic simulation and a larger sample size for data collection, which will be crucial for future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
The selection criteria for the CHAPEA mission are rigorous. Eligible candidates must be US citizens or permanent residents between the ages of 30-55, in excellent health, and non-smokers with no criminal record. They must also have at least a master's level of STEM qualifications, one thousand hours as an aircraft pilot, or completed military officer training.
Application Process and Mission Progress
The application process for the CHAPEA mission includes questions about diets, gut health, experience with isolation, and claustrophobia. Candidates are also required to provide their expectations of the experience and share how they handled the isolation during the COVID pandemic.
The entire selection process, from application to final selection, will take up to 14 months. The first of the three planned CHAPEA missions began in June 2023 and is currently halfway through. The current crew members have successfully completed various challenges, including crop cultivation, while isolated in a 3D-printed building within NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Medical officer Nate Jones, one of the crew members, describes the mission as a truly special year and expresses both sadness at its end and excitement to reunite with family and friends. The online application deadline for the CHAPEA mission is April 2, 2024.
