NASA needs volunteers to spend a year locked inside a moon and Mars simulator — here’s how to apply and what it might pay

Volunteers will spend one year living and working in extremely isolated interplanetary environments at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Throughout the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog mission simulation, researchers will study the volunteers’ health and performance under both resource limitations and mission demands.

Insights from the year-long tests will be used to help “keep astronauts safe and mission-ready” when they embark on planetary surface operations in the future — validating hardware, technologies, protocols and more. The findings may also be used to inform plans for a sustained lunar presence through NASA’s Moon Base and upcoming Artemis missions, as well as provide valuable data for NASA’s Human Research Program.

Here’s what you need to know about the celestial experience — and how to apply for this potentially paid opportunity in case you’re curious about interstellar life.

What is the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog?

NASA’s year-long mission simulation, the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, “evolves elements of the agency’s HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) and CHAPEA (Crew Health And Performance Exploration Analog) missions into a single, integrated mission,” according to the agency. The goal is to streamline how researchers evaluate astronaut adaptation within a wide range of potential mission scenarios.

The Moon and Mars Exploration Analog will take place in two confined habitats. It will utilize the HERA habitat as a spacecraft and the CHAPEA habitat as a base, where the volunteers will live and work in conditions that simulate months-long flights to and from other planets.

The volunteers are also expected to mimic surface operations, such as mock Mars walks and operating a rover to travel to exploration sites.

Who is eligible for the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog?

NASA outlines specific qualifications and notes that volunteers must pass NASA’s physical and psychological assessments, be willing to take part in a multi-day selection process and consent to an approximately 14-month long mission (including 12 months in two different confined habitats and two months of pre- and- post-mission training and data collection).

To be eligible for the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, you must be a U.S citizen or green card holder between 30 and 55 years old (though candidates outside of that age range may be considered). You must also be proficient in English, be no more than 74 inches tall and have neither dietary restrictions nor a history of sleepwalking or taking sleeping aids.

Applicants must also have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics, though an advanced degree in a STEM field is preferred and may be substituted for experience. (A master’s degree, for example, equates to one year of experience, while a doctoral degree equates to three years of experience). Military experience may also count as equivalent years of experience.