NASA Opens Mars Simulation Applications: Could You Survive a Year Locked Inside a Fake Spaceship?

NASA is now taking applications for a mission that never leaves the ground. The agency wants four volunteers to spend one year locked inside simulated space habitats at its Johnson Space Center in Houston, with the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog set to begin no earlier than August 2027.

So could you make the cut? For most Americans, the honest answer is no. The requirements read less like a job listing and more like an astronaut screening, and the paperwork alone commits you to roughly 14 months of your life.

The Checklist That Decides Whether You Qualify

NASA has published the full criteria through its Human Research Program. Run yourself down the list. Applicants must be

• A US citizen or green card holder
• Between 30 and 55 years old, though exceptions may be approved
• No taller than 74 inches (188 cm)
• Proficient in English
• Free of dietary restrictions
• Free of any history of sleepwalking or sleeping aid use

The education bar is steep too. NASA asks for a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics, and prefers an advanced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree. A master's counts as one year of experience, a doctorate as three, and military service may count towards experience.

Still standing? You must also pass a NASA physical and psychological assessment, take part in a multiday selection activity, and consent to a commitment of roughly 14 months. That covers 12 months inside two confined habitats plus two months of training and data collection. Volunteers will be reimbursed, though NASA has not published a figure.

What a Year Inside Actually Looks Like

The mission merges NASA's HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) and CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) missions into a single campaign. Crews will start inside a two-storey habitat that mimics the cramped transit spacecraft of a deep space flight, then move to a one-storey 3D-printed base designed to feel like another planet's surface.

The base includes private crew quarters, a crop growing area, a medical room, two bathrooms, and a sandbox for mock spacewalks. For trips beyond the main habitat, crews may use a rover fitted with two driver seats, two beds, a small samples airlock, and a non-flushable toilet.

Why the Fake Mission Matters for the Real One

Researchers will track how crews perform under the isolation, confinement, and strict resource limits expected on genuine missions. The data feeds NASA's Human Research Program and could shape both Artemis lunar flights and the first crewed journey to Mars.

Veterans of earlier runs say the hardest part isn't the science. Nathan Jones, a doctor who served as medical officer on the first CHAPEA mission, told CNN the toughest challenge was missing his wife and children, though the experience strengthened his ambition to reach space for real.

How to Apply Before the Window Closes

Applications are open now through NASA's analog studies portal, and the agency lists the deadline as ongoing. Some restrictions apply to NASA civil servants and contractors, who are advised to check leave policies with their employers first.

So if you're a fit, sub-6-foot-2-inch American with a STEM degree, no midnight sleepwalking habit, and 14 spare months, NASA wants to hear from you.

Everyone else can keep watching from Earth. Which, technically, the crew will be doing too.