NASA to recruit crew members for first one-year analog Mars mission

Washington: The US space agency NASA is inviting applicants as a crew member for the first one-year analog mission set to begin in Fall 2022 in a habitat to simulate life on a distant world.

"A master's degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical or computer science from an accredited institution with at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft is required," said NASA.

The series of missions - known as Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog - includes three one-year Mars surface simulations based at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Each mission will consist of four crew members living and working in a 1,700-square-foot module 3D-printed by ICON, called Mars Dune Alpha.

Under the mission, NASA aims to study how highly motivated individuals respond under the rigour of a long-duration and ground-based simulation, as a part of their preparation for the real-life challenges of future missions to Mars.

"The analog is critical for testing solutions to meet the complex needs of living on the Martian surface" said Grace Douglas, lead scientist for NASA's Advanced Food Technology research effort.

"Simulations on Earth will help us understand and counter the physical and mental challenges astronauts will face before they go," he said in a statement on Friday.

The habitat will simulate the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays, and other environmental stressors.

Also, 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.

The analogs will support research to develop methods and technologies to prevent and resolve potential problems on future human spaceflight missions to the Moon and Mars.