(WTAJ) – Move over, Matt Damon. It’s someone else’s turn to be “The Martian” in a new NASA mission.
Applications are open for NASA’s next one-year simulated Mars surface mission to help the agency plan for human exploration of the red planet. The second of three planned ground-based missions, CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), is set to kick off in spring 2025.
The mission involved a four-person volunteer crew living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat – called the Mars Dune Alpha – at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA said the habitat simulated the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limits, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stressors.
Simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise and crop growth will all be tasks the chosen crew will need to handle.
Think you have what it takes to apply?
NASA is looking for healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents aged 30-55. You must be a non-smoker and be proficient in English for effective communication. It would help if you had a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and an interest in contributing to NASA’s work as they try to prepare the first-ever human-led mission to Mars.
The deadline for applicants is Tuesday, April 2. You can find more information and apply by clicking here.
NASA said that compensation is available and more information will be given during the screening process.
In the movie “The Martian,” Damon plays an astronaut who is left stranded on Mars by his team, who believed him dead, according to IMDB. He succeeds in finding a way to signal to Earth that he is still alive and is later rescued.