What is “Martian Big Brother” that NASA is preparing [+VIDEO]

The American aerospace agency will monitor four volunteers for a year in a habitat that simulates living conditions on Mars

• NASA has started a selection for 4 volunteers who will live for a year as if they were on Mars
• The Mars Dune Alpha habitation module is 3D printed and 157 square meters large
• Volunteers will face equipment failures, limited resources, communication delays and other environmental stressors
• Applications were open to healthy, motivated U.S. citizens between the ages of 30 and 55
• Aspiring candidates must also have qualifications and experience relevant to the complexity of the project

There NASA is planning a project simulated life on Mars: four volunteers selected from thousands of applicants will live for a year in a habitat that simulates conditions on the Red Planet. The volunteers will be monitored 24 hours a day as in a kind of “Martian Big Brother” in their daily challenges of adaptation to life in an extraterrestrial environment.

The Mars Dune Alpha habitation module

The second of three planned ground missions, called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), will begin in spring 2025.

Each CHAPEA mission involves a volunteer crew of four living and working inside a 157-square-meter 3D-printed habitat based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The habitat, called Mars Dune Alpha, simulates the challenges of a mission to Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stressors. Crew duties include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise and crop growing. The American space agency has already started similar simulations in the past, but for shorter periods of time.

Requirements for candidates

For the project, NASA opened applications to healthy and motivated US citizens, ​​or permanent residents, who are non-smokers, between the ages of 30 and 55 and who have good English proficiency, for effective communication between crew members and mission control. Applicants must have a strong desire for unique and rewarding adventures and an interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare the first human trip to Mars.

Obviously, candidates must have requirements relating to the complexity of the mission. To be eligible for the evaluation, a master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical, or computer sciences, or a minimum of one thousand hours of piloting an aircraft, is required.

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Applicants who have completed two years of work towards a doctoral program in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who have completed a medical degree or a pilot trial program will also be considered. With four years of professional experience, candidates who have completed military officer training may also be considered.

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