The CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) mission is scheduled to launch in spring 2025. This will be the second of three planned such projects. Four people will spend a year in NASA’s Mars base simulator. For this purpose, a special environment called Mars Dune Alpha was created on a 3D printer at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, in which the conditions that the first colonizers of the Red Planet will encounter in the future will be recreated.
NASA is looking for volunteers for a simulated stay on Mars
The simulation is intended to imitate all the challenges awaiting astronauts on Mars – resource constraints, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stressors. The crew will also participate in simulated spacewalks, robotic activities, maintaining the simulator environment, exercises and plant cultivation.
NASA is looking for healthy and motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents for this mission. Candidates cannot smoke and must be 30-55 years old and fluent in English for effective communication with the team and other members of the mission. Additionally, CHAPEA applicants should have a strong desire to experience a unique and rewarding adventure and be interested in contributing to NASA’s efforts to send the first manned mission to Mars. Applications can be submitted until April 2.
Candidates will be selected based on the criteria used for astronauts. NASA requires CHAPEA participants to have at least a master’s degree in one of the STEM fields, such as engineering, mathematics, biology, physics or computer science, and two years of professional experience. However, consideration will also be given to candidates who have completed two years of work in a PhD program in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as those who have completed a medical degree or completed a test pilot program. Applicants who have completed officer training or obtained a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field may be considered if they have four years of work experience.
NASA is diligently preparing for future space missions
It will be possible to receive compensation for participating in the mission. Detailed information will be provided during the screening of candidates. The CHAPEA mission is expected to provide critical scientific data that will enable the development of systems and solutions for future missions to Mars. Members of the first mission tour are halfway through. The data obtained from them will be used to better inform about the health of the crew during the colonization of the Red Planet.
Currently, NASA is also focusing on the Artemis program, under which humans will land on the Moon again. This week, the United States placed a private lander there. This is the first American equipment on the Silver Globe in over 50 years. The experience from the program will also be useful in the first mission to Mars in the future.
Source: Gazeta
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