Do you want to spend a year on Mars? In a way, you have a chance
Do you dream of spending a year on a foreign planet? For now, it’s a distant desire, but NASA is looking for people who will be able to feel like they’re on the Red Planet.
Colonization of space is one of humanity’s dreams. The first and most obvious target seems to be the Moon, but it would also be a kind of base for Mars. The Red Planet is to be our main goal. If you would like to feel what it is like to live there for a year, you have a chance to do so.
A year on Mars
NASA is looking for volunteers to take part in the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA 2) mission. It involves spending an entire year in conditions that simulate a stay on Mars. The four-person crew will spend approximately 356 days in a special facility in Houston, specifically in a 3D-printed facility measuring almost 160 square meters.
The facility was named Mars Dune Alpha and is intended to simulate a stay on Mars as precisely as possible. Throughout the year, the crew will not only have to carry out appropriate repairs, but also take care of their own food, i.e. simply grow plants.
This will be the second of three planned missions. The first one started on June 25, 2023. It was attended by Kelly Haston (biologist), Ross Brockwell (structural engineer), Nathan Jones (emergency medicine physician) and Anca Selariu (microbiologist).
To take part in the second mission, several conditions must be met. The basic requirement is a higher education in one of the STEM fields, i.e. engineering, mathematics, biology, physics or computer science, or at least 1,000 hours of experience in operating an aircraft. Additional points can be obtained, among others, for at least 2 years of development towards obtaining a doctorate or for completed military training.
Nominations can be submitted until April 2, 2024. The selection is expected to last up to 14 months. Participants will be paid for staying on a simulated Mars for a year, but NASA does not reveal the amounts.
