NASA opens recruitment for year-long Moon and Mars analog mission
NASA is seeking four participants and two alternates for the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA), a 14-month simulated mission that will test crew performance from launch through a Mars-like habitat and return.
NASA announced that it will select four crew members, plus two alternates, for the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA) program, slated to begin no earlier than August 2027. The analog mission will combine elements of two previous NASA simulations – the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) and the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) – to recreate an end-to-end Mars journey without leaving Earth.
Participants must be U.S. citizens aged 30 to 55, no taller than 6 ft 2 in, hold a science or engineering degree, and meet medical and psychological criteria, including a modified Class III flight physical. The selection process will follow the same rigorous standards used for astronaut candidates.
The simulated spacecraft, located at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, will be a two-story, 682-square-foot module housing four crew members for the transit phase. After the simulated Mars arrival, crews will move to a larger, 1,700-square-foot habitat representing a near-future Martian base. Throughout the 14-month period, crew members will follow a schedule of eight hours of sleep, 4.5 hours for meals, and the remainder dedicated to work, with 1.5 days off per week.
The program aims to study how isolation, confined living conditions, and mission stressors affect crew performance, interpersonal dynamics, and mental health, providing data to support future Artemis and potential lunar or Martian surface missions.