Have you always wondered what it’s like to live in isolation for a year? If you’re up for the challenge, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has something in store for you.
Currently, NASA is looking for volunteers for an isolation experiment simulating what it would be like to live alone on Mars. This mission is called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA), which will start in spring 2025.
The agency will choose four volunteers who will work and live together in Mars Dune Alpha, a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot base at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This place is designed to simulate the challenges that first people would face on the actual planet, such as equipment failures, resource shortages, communication delays, and other stressful situations.
This is the second time that NASA has conducted the same year-long Mars experiment. The first one started in June 2023, which means the applicants are still in isolation for a few months.
