NASA wants healthy, inspired U.S. citizens or permanent residents to spend 12 months on an analog 3D-printed Martian base called Mars Dune Alpha. Safe human search on Mars is still a long way off, but NASA is conducting important research into what such a mission could be. If you want to feel in another world and help NASA, this is your chance.
Mars Dun Alpha will share 158 square meters (1,700 square feet) and four people at the same time. The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) is a series of three one-year-long missions that are expected to begin in the fall of 2022. In those 365 days, the crew will experience the challenges of living on Mars.
They will struggle with resources and communication will be delayed, after all, Mars is only a few minutes away. Crew equipment will face failure and other environmental pressures. In such missions, astronauts also have to fulfill their expected responsibilities. There will be scientific research, plus lots of virtual reality and robotic controls to simulate the various instruments that astronauts may have access to on the Red Planet.
There will also be an extravehicular activity, something of concern due to the possibility of contamination on an actual Mars mission. Although the planet will be unsuitable for most terrestrial life, some may have survived its icy temperatures and radiation. Life on Mars could also be possible, and it could make the interior of the base feel highly compliant, creating another danger for astronauts. Grace Douglas, the lead scientist for NASA’s Advanced Food Technology research effort at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement, “Analog is important for testing solutions to meet the complex demands of living on the Martian surface.”
“Simulations on Earth will help our astronauts understand and deal with their physical and mental challenges before they go.” The requirements of mission participants are the same as the NASA criteria for astronauts. You must be a smoker between the ages of 30 and 55 and be proficient in English. You must have at least a bachelor’s degree in STEM – such as math, physics, biology, or engineering – and two years of professional experience in STEM or at least 1,000 hours in aviation.
