NASA SOUGHT VOLUNTEERS FOR 12 MONTHS IN SIMULATED HABITATS
NASA went looking for volunteers willing to spend 12 months confined inside a simulated Mars mission without ever leaving Houston.
The agency put out its call on July 1, 2026, for the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, or MMEA, a ground-based simulation of a deep-space trip. The mission is planned to begin no earlier than August 2027 at Johnson Space Center.
“NASA is recruiting research participants for the agency’s next simulated deep space mission,” the agency said in its announcement.
To be clear, this is not a crewed flight to the Moon or Mars. The whole thing happens on Earth, with the habitat period running 12 months across a pair of confined environments.
What volunteers would do
MMEA combines elements of two NASA programs: the Human Exploration Research Analog, known as HERA, and the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, known as CHAPEA.
NASA said the HERA habitat would stand in for a spacecraft, while the CHAPEA habitat would serve as a base.
Participants would simulate interplanetary transit and planetary surface operations. That includes mock Mars walks and rover trips to exploration sites beyond the main habitat.
Researchers plan to study crew health and performance under resource limitations and mission demands.
NASA said the work can help assess and validate hardware, technologies, protocols and requirements for long-duration missions. The agency added that the findings may inform future planetary surface operations, a sustained lunar presence and Artemis missions.
Insights from the yearlong simulation, NASA said, can help keep astronauts safe and mission-ready. The mission will also feed data to its Human Research Program, which develops ways to keep astronauts healthy.
Who can apply
The Human Research Program said the first mission will have four crew members. It described a total commitment of about 14 months, including pre- and post-mission training and data collection.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or green-card holders and have English proficiency and strong technical skills. NASA also listed an age range, with candidates outside it possibly considered with additional approvals, and a maximum height.
The requirements get personal. Volunteers cannot have dietary restrictions or a history of sleepwalking or taking sleeping aids.
They must also be willing to take part in a multiday selection activity and pass physical and psychological assessments.
As for pay, NASA’s recruitment information said only: “Research volunteers will be reimbursed.”
Where things stand
NASA described the recruitment deadline as ongoing. Its recruitment site carries a blunt warning: “Be advised, this is a website for recruiting test subjects.”
The site was updated on October 7, 2026, and still described screening as open for participants in the first MMEA mission. NASA had not announced selected crew members or changed the planned start date.
