NASA is looking for volunteers for a year's paid 'Mars' mission

NASA is looking for volunteers for a year's paid 'Mars' mission

NASA is looking for people who want to join a one-year Mars simulation mission. They need your help formulating their plans to send humans to explore the Red Planet.

The space agency is looking for applications from "healthy, motivated people in the US or those who live here permanently. They should not smoke, be between 30-55 years old, and be good at English."

This is going to be NASA's second planned ground mission called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA). It's set to begin in the spring of 2025, and if you're interested, you can apply until April 2.

Four people will live and work together for a year in a 1,700-square-foot home named Mars Dune Alpha. This home is 3D-printed and located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA says the habitat will imitate the difficulties of a Mars mission, like having only a little bit of supplies, delays in communication, problems with equipment, and other challenges from the surroundings.

The volunteer crew for the mission will do things like pretend spacewalks, take care of the habitat, use robots, exercise, and grow crops as part of their tasks.

The space agency said they are looking for the best people for the mission, those who really want exciting and fulfilling adventures and have an interest in helping NASA prepare for the first human journey to Mars.

NASA mentioned that you need to have a master's degree in a STEM field like engineering, math, biological, physical, or computer science from respected colleges. They also want you to have worked in a STEM job for at least two years or have flown an aircraft for a minimum of one thousand hours. NASA will pay you for being part of the mission.

The American space agency wants to use what they learn from simulated missions to help keep astronauts healthy and perform well on actual trips to Mars.

Until now, NASA has sent robot rovers and a helicopter to check out Mars, but no people have stepped on the planet yet. 

Staying on Mars for a whole year will be a lot harder.

Mars can be tough for astronauts, with temperatures dropping as low as -225 degrees Fahrenheit.

The air around Mars has a lot of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon gases, making its sky look hazy, dusty, and red.

The deadline to apply is April 2 on NASA's CHAPEA website.

For more about CHAPEA, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/chapea/