NASA Recruits 4 Volunteers for 1-Year Simulated Moon-Mars Mission Starting in 2027
Updated
Updated · Reader's Digest · Jul 16
NASA Recruits 4 Volunteers for 1-Year Simulated Moon-Mars Mission Starting in 2027
3 articles · Updated · Reader's Digest · Jul 16
Summary
Four volunteers will spend a year in isolation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in the agency’s first Moon and Mars Exploration Analog mission, set to begin no earlier than August 2027.
The study will simulate deep-space living in a two-story habitat and the 3D-printed Mars Dune Alpha base, where the crew will practice spacewalks, grow crops and use a rover.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or green card holders, generally ages 30 to 55, fluent in English, under 6 feet 2 inches and able to pass physical and psychological screening.
NASA also wants astronaut-like academic credentials in engineering, math or biological or physical sciences, plus a roughly 14-month commitment including training and follow-up testing.
The mission is meant to study how humans adapt to long confinement and operations needed for future deep-space travel, though NASA has not disclosed specific pay beyond saying participants will be reimbursed.