NASA is seeking “highly motivated individuals” to live in 3D-printed simulated Mars habitats as it prepares to send humans to the Red Planet as soon as 2037. NASA said it is looking for a few good men and women to help it progress in its plan to send humans to Mars by 2037.
According to The Daily mail, the US space agency is seeking “highly motivated individuals” to participate in year-long Mars surface simulation, where they will live a 1,700-square-foot module 3D-printed by ICON, called Mars Dune Alpha.
The program consists of three simulations, with the first starting in 2022, and each will see four crew members spend the 365 days completely isolated in the mock habitats of the Red Planet.
The habitat will simulate the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays, and other environmental stressors, NASA shared in the announcement.
Crew tasks may include simulated spacewalks, scientific research, use of virtual reality and robotic controls, and exchanging communications. The results will provide important scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions. Applications have opened and will run through September 12, 2021.
Those interested in participating must be within the ages of 30 to 55, possess a master’s degree in a STEM field and have at least two years of related professional experience.
Individuals will have to pass the NASA long-duration flight astronaut simulation and are required to have a COVID-19 vaccination, reads the application website. But they won’t end up going to the actual Red Planet when a mission, with that honor initially reserved for highly-trained astronauts.
The habitats will be constructed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and will include workstations, medical facilities and a place to grow food. The missions aim to provide valuable insights and information to assess NASA’s space food system, as well as physical and behavioral health and performance outcomes for future space missions.
