Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: MARK FELIX / AFP 4:12 p.m., February 21, 2024
The American Space Agency has launched a recruitment campaign for a mission like no other. The selected volunteers will be immersed in a simulation which reproduces the environment of the planet Mars exactly. They will have to meet the many challenges that will face future astronauts who will visit the red planet.
A trip to Mars is in the works. In the 2030s, space missions will be organized to explore the red planet. No human presence on the planet yet, in 2024, but already missions intended to prepare the ground. As reported by the
Guardian
, NASA, the American Space Agency, is currently looking for volunteers to take on an extraordinary challenge: to evolve for a year in total isolation where the Martian environment will be reproduced as precisely as possible. .
This 3D printed replica is located at the Lyndon B. Johnson Center in Houston, Texas. It is part of the Chapea program, developed by NASA, which aims to simulate one-year missions on the surface of Mars. Each of them will mobilize four crew members who will have to live in an isolated habitat of approximately 160m². In this environment, called Mars Dune Alpha, these volunteers will have to carry out simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance and even growing crops. The place contains individual accommodation, a kitchen, spaces dedicated to medical activities and rest and fitness rooms.
Several criteria to respect
NASA warns, however: "To obtain the most accurate data, the analog mission will be as realistic as possible on Mars, which may include environmental stressors such as limited resources, isolation, power failure equipment and heavy workloads. Consequently, the Agency favors a certain type of profile. Applicants must have a degree in engineering, mathematics or biological, physical or computer sciences. Experience in these areas is also required. Candidates who have already completed more than 1,000 hours of flight as a pilot can also apply.
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Only U.S. citizens, or permanent residents, between the ages of 30 and 55 are eligible to apply. You must also be in good health and a non-smoker. People meeting these criteria can submit their application on the official website until April 2. The Agency does not specify the exact amount of remuneration, but indicates that crew members will be paid based on their time in the habitat. The quartet will be the second to operate there since a first group is currently carrying out a mission there that began last summer.