NASA is looking for volunteers for a 12-month “expedition” to the Moon and Mars — without leaving Earth

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a call for volunteers for a new unique experiment designed to help prepare humanity for long-duration crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. Participants will spend about a year in complete isolation, living in conditions as close as possible to future interplanetary missions.

A new stage in preparing to explore deep space

The mission is called Moon and Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA). It is scheduled to begin no earlier than August 2027, and the experiment will take place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The project’s main goal is to study how people adapt to long-term life in isolation, limited resources and psychological pressure that are inevitable during expeditions to the Moon and Mars. The data obtained will help make future space flights safer and more efficient.

What awaits participants

Volunteers will live and work in two specialized sealed modules simulating different stages of an interplanetary expedition.

During the experiment, participants will be expected to:

— perform tasks similar to those carried out by astronauts;

— conduct “surface walks” on the Moon and Mars using augmented reality technologies;

— operate a research rover;

— maintain equipment;

— work with limited supplies of water, food and other resources;

— follow a communications schedule with artificial delays typical of long-distance spaceflights.

Scientists will continuously analyze physical condition, psychological resilience, crew teamwork efficiency and the impact of prolonged isolation on human health.

Combining two successful programs

The new mission is an extension of two NASA research programs at once — HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) and CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog).

While HERA simulated a space flight and CHAPEA — life on the surface of Mars in the isolated 3D-printed Mars Dune Alpha complex, MMEA combines both scenarios into one continuous expedition. This approach will allow scientists to comprehensively assess all stages of future deep-space missions — from the flight itself to work on the surface of another planet.

Who can take part

NASA is looking for healthy, motivated candidates ready to undergo a rigorous medical and psychological screening. In addition to good physical condition, the agency requires education and professional experience similar to the criteria used to select astronaut candidates.

Participants will have to go through a multi-stage assessment process, as researchers need to make sure the crew can work effectively under conditions of prolonged isolation and high stress.

Why such experiments are so important

Unlike flights to the International Space Station, a Mars expedition can take several years. During such a mission, the crew will be almost completely autonomous: help from Earth will be limited, and the delay in radio signals can exceed 20 minutes one way.

That is why NASA needs to understand in advance how long-term isolation affects people’s physical and mental health, which technologies are most reliable, and how to organize crew life in conditions of limited resources.

It is precisely such ground-based experiments that make it possible to test equipment, work methods and human behavior without the enormous risks and costs associated with real space flights.

A step toward future expeditions

The new program will become one of the key stages in NASA’s preparation for a long-term human presence on the Moon under the Artemis program and for subsequent crewed flights to Mars.

If the experiment proves successful, its results will be used in designing future lunar bases, developing life support systems and preparing crews for the first crewed expeditions to the Red Planet in history.