NASA seeks volunteers for year-long Moon and Mars analog mission
NASA will recruit up to four participants for a 12-month simulation of lunar and Martian travel and surface living, beginning no earlier than August 2027 at Johnson Space Center.
NASA announced a call for up to four volunteers to join its Moon and Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA) program, a 12-month simulation designed to mimic the conditions of traveling to and living on the Moon and Mars. The mission will start no earlier than August 2027 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and will include two confined habitats that replicate a spacecraft and a surface base.
Participants will perform tasks such as growing crops, monitoring health, and conducting simulated spacewalks, while also adapting to a Martian sol, which is roughly 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. The program requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, ages 30 to 55 (with possible exceptions), a height limit of 6 feet 2 inches, fluency in English, and “astronaut-like” qualifications such as a bachelor’s degree in engineering, biological, physical science or mathematics. Applicants must also pass physical and psychological screenings and have no dietary restrictions or history of sleepwalking.
The simulation is divided into three phases. First, volunteers will live in a mock 650-square-foot spacecraft for the outbound journey. Next, they will relocate to a 900-square-foot surface habitat where they will grow food and practice planetary surface activities, including sandbox spacewalks. The final phase returns the crew to the spacecraft for re-entry simulation. NASA said the study will help characterize risks, test countermeasures, and improve human performance for long-duration space exploration.
"Volunteer research participants contribute greatly to the knowledge base by helping NASA characterize the risks and test countermeasures to enhance human performance during long duration space exploration missions," a NASA spokesperson said.
"In previous missions, it (the habitats) was intended to simulate a well-established, larger surface habitat, but MMEA missions are designed to simulate an earlier phase of Mars surface infrastructure, which is also applicable to helping NASA answer questions about near-term Moon Base objectives," spokesperson Kelsey Spivey added.
The program will also examine how crew members adjust to Mars time, which may affect sleep and overall health. The total commitment includes two months of pre- and post-mission training in addition to the year-long habitat stay.