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Mars NASA

Martians Wanted: NASA Opens Call for Simulated Yearlong Mars Mission (nasa.gov) 55

Posted by EditorDavid from the my-favorite-Martians dept.
"Would you like to live on Mars?" NASA asked Friday on social media.

"You can help us move humanity toward that goal by participating in a simulated, year-long Mars surface mission at NASA's Johnson Space Center." NASA is seeking applicants to participate in its next simulated one-year Mars surface mission to help inform the agency's plans for human exploration of the Red Planet. The second of three planned ground-based missions called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) is scheduled to kick off in spring 2025.

Each CHAPEA mission involves a four-person volunteer crew living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat based at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The habitat, called the Mars Dune Alpha, simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental stressors. Crew tasks include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop growth.

NASA is looking for healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, 30-55 years old, and proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control. Applicants should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA's work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars...

As NASA works to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and exploration on the Moon through the Artemis campaign, CHAPEA missions provide important scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions for future missions to the Red Planet. With the first CHAPEA crew more than halfway through their yearlong mission, NASA is using research gained through the simulated missions to help inform crew health and performance support during Mars expeditions.
You can see the simulated Mars habitat in this NASA video.

The deadline for applicants is Tuesday, April 2, according to NASA. "A master's degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical or computer science from an accredited institution with at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft is required."
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Martians Wanted: NASA Opens Call for Simulated Yearlong Mars Mission More

Martians Wanted: NASA Opens Call for Simulated Yearlong Mars Mission

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  • Due to illness, I literally never leave my bedroom anyway. I can do this.

  • Do they actually mean spacewalks? (Score:3)

    by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Saturday February 17, 2024 @02:56PM (#64247898)

    Or do they mean excursions out onto the Martian surface?

    Also, will there be any potato farming involved?

  • If NASA wants to get people interested, as in really really interested, then put in writing that those that perform with excellence in this simulation get to go on to the next step of selecting crew for a mission to Mars.

    I'm not getting in a box with a bunch of people to be lab rats unless there's a real chance I get invited back for a real deal trip to Mars. I'd know the chances would be small for getting picked to go to Mars but as it is now that chance looks to be so close to zero it may as well be zero

    • Why would NASA lie to people? We're nowhere near the point where we can send people safely to Mars, much less bring them back. This is strictly research to gather data that might help decide how to make a long-term base on Mars work.

      By the time we're ready to actually send a mission to Mars, it's likely that anyone participating in this will have gotten too old to go.

  • NASA is looking for healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, 30-55 years old

    Hopefully those requirements will help a lot towards this not merely becoming a self-writing script for Biodome 2.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

      > 30-55 years old

      It's like they purposely set the cut-off age to exclude Pauly Shore.

      Pauly Shore
      56 years
      February 1, 1968

      • Pauly Shore net worth: $30 million.

        He can afford his own Biodome now, and even get a Baldwin or two thrown in.

    • All I know is that there is no way I'm going in with that Pauly Shore guy.

  • I was seriously considering it until I saw "exercise".

    Sorry, but I've had my share of smelling people's sweat during PE in school. Not too eager to relive that experience.

    • I was seriously considering it until I saw "exercise".

      Sorry, but I've had my share of smelling people's sweat during PE in school. Not too eager to relive that experience.

      I imagine that if people go to Mars, water for showers isn't going to be a priority. Gonna be more like life on a submarine, except in a cave.

      I thought that the whole Mars thing had died down anyhow. With the Starship being hard pressed to deliver people to Mars ever, much less Musk's million people by 2050. It wasn't ever a practical thing, what with the choice of methane, which will be hella hard to create on Mars, and Just what the hell would they do once they get there? All those gorgeous Spacex 3-D

      • Despite the claims to the contrary, Earth is a beautiful place, and you can walk outside without experiencing a quick death in most places.

        Also, you don't even have to leave Earth to find some rather inhospitable biomes.

        Sure, I totally get that the (presently sci-fi) concept of being a muti-planet species has its advantages, but at our present level of technological development that would require finding another planet very similar to Earth. Mars is always going to be a dead rock with almost no atmosphere, so if something bad happened to Earth, the settlers on Mars would be fairly well screwed too.

        • Despite the claims to the contrary, Earth is a beautiful place, and you can walk outside without experiencing a quick death in most places.

          Also, you don't even have to leave Earth to find some rather inhospitable biomes.

          The Antarctic being one. And truth is, we've had groups of people spending long periods of time there for quite a while now. One important differences is unlike Musk's intrepid million settlers on Mars, the people in the Antarctic plan on coming back. Future Martians at least of the Musk owned variety, will need to know they are going to die there.

          Sure, I totally get that the (presently sci-fi) concept of being a muti-planet species has its advantages, but at our present level of technological development that would require finding another planet very similar to Earth. Mars is always going to be a dead rock with almost no atmosphere, so if something bad happened to Earth, the settlers on Mars would be fairly well screwed too.

          This is quite true. While it is easy to get people excited with tales of high adventure on a new planet, the amount of infrastructure that needs built just to n

    • I did band, which gets you out of PE entirely, at least in Texas.

      And before you think "hey, that's not fair," there's a lot of deep breathing.

      • Or deep beating, depending on your instrument of choice.

      • I did band, which gets you out of PE entirely, at least in Texas.

        I grew up in Los Angeles, and band was only supposed to get you out of PE in the fall, because of football. My high school's band was so small that they let us out of PE in the spring as well, just to get enough people in the band.

  • Piloting? (Score:3)

    by bradley13 ( 1118935 ) on Saturday February 17, 2024 @05:01PM (#64248120) Homepage

    I know that NASA likes pilots for spaceship roles, which...makes some sense, but less and less as time goes on. But what possible relevance does it have here?

    Generally, I have to wonder who would sacrifice a year of their life for this. In my early 20s, maybe, but 30+ with a graduate degree? Most people they want are in their careers, maybe starting families, etc..

    • Re:Piloting? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by test321 ( 8891681 ) on Saturday February 17, 2024 @05:46PM (#64248194)

      who would sacrifice a year of their life for this. In my early 20s, maybe, but 30+ with a graduate degree? Most people they want are in their careers, maybe starting families, etc..

      At the level of a population it's a negligible amount of people, but given the very small number of such job openings, there are more volunteers than positions. Every year there are waiting lists to work in Antarctica whether it's a cook, mechanic, or high graduates like meteorologist or ornithologist. Those with a degree probably have a passion for their career as well and this becomes an essential part of their career. All of them certainly have a fascination for extreme environments. Many would want to make long stays but rules are you only get to work 1 year maybe 2, otherwise you get addicted to loneliness and readaptation to life in society is very hard.

      If there are top qualified people who go for Antarctica (where evacuation may be impossible during several months), there will be for Mars.

    • Re:Piloting? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Brett Buck ( 811747 ) on Saturday February 17, 2024 @05:56PM (#64248212)

      I know that NASA likes pilots for spaceship roles, which...makes some sense, but less and less as time goes on. But what possible relevance does it have here?

            Because it filters for people with some semblence of discipline and problem-solving skills.

      • Because it filters for people with some semblence of discipline and problem-solving skills.

        I'd say it filters for more than that. It filters for eyesight and hearing, physical fitness, willingness to be packed into small spaces for a long time, education and intelligence. Along with being educated they will be educated in things highly related to life in a space craft and/or space habitat.

        I'd think that looking towards other occupations for future astronauts would be helpful, especially if the crew member is not expected to be a pilot. Consider people with experience as divers and in submarine

    • If your career is in a related field, this would be an opportunity to add something unique to your resume rather than a sacrifice. Heck, I'd consider it just for the experience of it. A year playing an astronaut would go by quickly... At this age, most people who are going to start families have already done it. Toward the upper end, their kids have already moved out. You need to be mature enough that your relationships can deal with a year-long absence.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      Generally, I have to wonder who would sacrifice a year of their life for this. In my early 20s, maybe, but 30+ with a graduate degree? Most people they want are in their careers, maybe starting families, etc..

      Or people wanting something different. The NSF, in association with NASA and other agencies do run science experiments in Antarctica. And during the summer months, it's very busy with people spending time there usually in 2 week increments. But during the winter, it is basically impossible and you have

  • NASA is as NASA does. What Diversity Hire Asshat came up with that? No! Fuck the fuck off. No! No wonder SpaceX is beating NASA hands-the-fuck-down. Up yours!

    • Care to explain why you think that requiring a Master's (I'd qualify), or PhD is so off the wall?

      This is basically a huge psychological experiment to find issues, to test methods and procedures, and all that, before doing the real thing.

      As such, how would following traditional requirements such as: "Crew selection will follow additional standard NASA criteria for astronaut candidate applicants." require a "diversity hire asshat"?

      You're going to want the same sort of people for this simulation as you'd have

      • The people selected for an actual Mars mission will already have so much going on that taking a year out of their life for this would be a horribly bad career move for them.

        This is for people who THINK they are good enough, and are enthusiastic enough to waste a year of their lives. It's not necessarily a waste for science, but compared to the cost to and minimal compensation for the applicants, it's definitely a waste of their lives. They are never going to set foot on a real space craft for a real missi

        • I'd argue that the sort of people who are willing to go on a mars mission are the type that they don't need to worry about their career, and that once they get back they'd have no problems continuing their career.
          As for this, well, you do have space weebos who are willing to do anything, and unlike what you might think, this would still look good on a resume. They'll get to be coauthors on various papers regarding it. Whatever engineering they do, etc...

          Their career will be fine.

  • I know a couple of people I would like to volunteer.

  • Every time I think this might be fun... I read up on the requirements.

    Beyond usually having to be American (I get it, your program, your citizens first... but it is a factor that exclude me), these things often involve extended bed rest with your feet elevated to simulate the biological effects of low g... so in addition to the shitty pay because you're doing it for the glory of science, you can be getting a permanent reduction in your physical capacity.

    I also have to imagine a year of going through make-wo

  • How do they simulate the low gravity?

    IIRC its about 1/3 G

    • How do they simulate the low gravity?

      IIRC its about 1/3 G

      Drugs. Lots of drugs. Or at least I hope it is drugs, because it would be awesome if they had drugs to simulate 1/3G.

  • "The first crew to take part in a yearlong NASA Mars analog mission reached the 200 day mark of its mission Jan. 11.

    The four person analog crew, entered the CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on June 25, 2023, and is scheduled to complete its mission on July 6, 2024."

    https://www.nasa.gov/missions/... [nasa.gov]

    • With the first CHAPEA crew more than halfway through their yearlong mission

      If you're going to complain about something not being in the summary, at least read the summary.

  • Omg, no Starbucks....in jest. Seriously, going to Mars in the near future is a one-way death trip. Start by learning/building on the moon what can be done and what works. And it shouldn't be a death trip. If we wouldn't have stopped going to the moon in 1972, we would have advanced 50 years in doing so.
  • Seriously, we already know plenty about ppl living in tight quarters for months and even years; subs, ISS?and other mars simulations. What is needed is building a small fully supported biosphere. We can not be on the moon/mars without these being fully self supported in terms of life support.

    • In terms of Mars, you don't have to worry about 100% recycling, which we absolutely cannot do yet.

      Instead, what you need to do is figure out how close we can get, and what will be needed to use Mars' resources to handle the portion we can't.

      For instance, give power it's easy enough to play around with your air to ensure the correct balance of N2, O2, CO2, and humidity - a greenhouse alone won't work, it doesn't take long for things to get very uncomfortable for humans.

  • Iâ(TM)m no techniphobe, and I think crewed moon missions may have some benefit, but why do we continue to expend huge amounts of money & vast resources on a project that is utterly infeasible? There is as yet no solution to fundamental constraints on such a mission, including Water Oxygen Radiation Emergency return (health emergency, for example) Human interaction (cooped up >year) The cynic in me suspects that, so long as large aerospace firms are raking in the bucks, this charade will c

    • I am not sure why it is "infeasible". It is a matter of cost and will. We had the necessary knowledge and technology to put people on Mars 50 years ago.

      Water - you need to take water with you, so build some big tanks, and launch enough to fill the tanks.
      Radiation - You only need minimal shielding aside from solar flares. If you design it right, you can use the water as a shield, aim the long axis at the sun, huddle under it for a few hours
      Oxygen - You have water and you have to have power, so you have oxyg

  • Perfect opportunity for the homeless. Are free drugs and alcohol included?

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