NASA Wants You to Pretend to Live on the Moon and Mars!

What Is This Pretend Space Mission?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on another planet? NASA (the US space agency) is giving people a chance to find out — well, sort of! They are looking for four volunteers to join a practice program called the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA).

"Analog" is just a fancy word for a fake version that acts like the real thing. This program is a yearlong pretend trip designed to copy traveling and living on the Moon and Mars. NASA told the public about it in a press release earlier this month.

Here’s what you should know:

• Volunteers will live in tight, space-like homes (called habitats) and do the same kinds of jobs real astronauts do.
• Tasks include:
  • Growing crops (plants for food)
  • Looking after their own health
  • Practicing fake spacewalks (walking outside in a special suit)
• The 12‑month pretend mission starts no earlier than August 2027 and will happen at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Important: A NASA spokesperson told CNN that this research helps lower the dangers real astronauts might face when flying to space and landing on Mars. Volunteers help NASA spot problems and test fixes to help people stay healthy and do their best during long space journeys. As the spokesperson said, “Volunteer research participants contribute greatly to the knowledge base by helping NASA characterize the risks and test countermeasures to enhance human performance during long duration space exploration missions.”

Why Study Mars Time?

On Mars, a day is called a sol. A sol is about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. NASA wants to see how crew members adjust to this longer day because it could mess with sleep and cause other health or performance issues.

Who Can Join?

NASA has a list of rules for who can apply. You must:

• Be a US citizen or a green card holder (someone allowed to live permanently in the US but not a citizen).
• Be aged between 30 and 55. (People a little outside this age range might still be considered.)
• Be no taller than 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters).
• Speak English fluently.

You also have to:

• Commit to the full 14‑month program at the Johnson Space Center: 12 months living inside two confined habitats plus 2 months of training before and after.
• Pass physical and psychological (mind) checks.
• Have no special food needs (no dietary restrictions).
• Never have sleepwalked or taken sleeping aids.

And you need “astronaut‑like” school or work backgrounds:

• A bachelor’s degree (first college degree) in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics.
• Advanced STEM degrees (STEM = science, technology, engineering, math) are also welcome.
• Military experience will be considered too.

How the Pretend Mission Is Set Up

NASA said the project is split into three parts using two different fake habitats. A spokesperson named Kelsey Spivey explained the plan.

1. Fake Spaceship Travel

   • First, volunteers live inside a mock spacecraft of about 650 square feet (60 square meters) — roughly a small apartment.
   • They pretend they are traveling from Earth to the Moon or Mars.
   • Each of the four crew members gets a tiny personal space with room to live, work, sleep, and a small bathroom (different from what real astronauts use).

2. Living on the Fake Planet Surface

   • Next, they move into a one‑story building of about 900 square feet (84 square meters).
   • Here they:
     • Grow their own crops
     • Take care of their health and well‑being
     • Practice spacewalks in a sandbox made to look like the surface of another planet
3. Return to Earth
   • The third phase is a pretend trip back home in the same fake spacecraft used at the start.

Important: These two habitats were used in earlier research missions but are now being made smaller to copy a newer, early‑stage Mars base. This also helps NASA answer questions about near‑term Moon Base plans. NASA has done 28 travel simulations and 2 surface simulations before, but this is the first time they combine both! The earlier surface tests were called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), which studied how volunteers stayed healthy in a confined Mars‑like space.

Crew members will have to grow their own crops and vegetation, similar to the CHAPEA Mission 1, pictured.

The Mission 1 crew celebrating a team member’s birthday during the yearlong simulation.

A Past Pretend Astronaut’s Story

A doctor named Nathan Jones from Illinois saw an article calling for volunteers in 2021. Two years later, he served as the medical officer (health helper) inside a previous simulated Mars home called Mars Dune Alpha (1,700 square feet).

He told CNN that the experience made him want to become a real astronaut even more, and he’d also like to ride a commercial space flight someday. But the yearlong stay was emotionally hard:

• He missed his wife and children.
• He missed big events like birthdays, holidays, graduations, funerals, and weddings.

After the mission, Jones said he gained a new appreciation for simple things:

“The NASA food was good, but the menu is necessarily limited, and nothing was fresh other than a few vegetables we grew. In the mission there was no sunshine or wind. So, I found a new appreciation for those kinds of things when the mission completed.”

Nathan Jones pictured in the Mars Dune Alpha.

Summary

NASA is recruiting four people for a 14‑month pretend space mission (MMEA) in Houston starting around August 2027. Volunteers will live in small fake spaceship and surface habitats to practice Moon and Mars life, doing tasks like growing food and mock spacewalks. Applicants must be US citizens or green card holders, roughly aged 30–55, under 6’2", English‑speaking, with science or engineering backgrounds and good physical and mental health. The simulation helps NASA learn how to protect real astronauts, including coping with Mars’s longer days. Past participant Nathan Jones showed that while the experience can inspire, it also brings challenges like missing loved ones and simple pleasures such as sunshine.

FAQ

Q: Will I actually fly to the Moon or Mars?
A: No! This is a pretend mission on Earth. You live inside copies of space homes at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Q: What is a “sol”?
A: A sol is one day on Mars. It lasts about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth, which can affect sleep and health.

Q: Can someone older than 55 or younger than 30 apply?
A: The main rule is ages 30–55, but NASA says people outside that range may also be considered.

Q: What was CHAPEA?
A: CHAPEA stands for Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog. It was NASA’s earlier pretend Mars surface mission that studied how people stayed healthy and worked in a confined space.

Q: Do I get my own bathroom in the fake spacecraft?
A: Yes, you get a small bathroom in your tiny quarters, but NASA notes it is different from the one real astronauts use.