NASA is looking for people who want to spend a year simulating a mission on Mars

https://www.theblaze.com/news/nasa-is-looking-for-people-who-want-to-spend-a-year-simulating-a-mission-on-mars

by RickJWagner • 5 years ago

133 86 5 years ago

napier• 5 years ago

NASA missed an opportunity not conducting the study over the last 15 months. They could have recruited hundreds of millions of study participants with no additional costs or fundamental behavior alterations required.

yreg• 5 years ago

I wouldn't be so sure that the next 12 months will be too much different.

FatalLogic• 5 years ago

One difference is that many potential participants in this experiment will have been living a somewhat restricted life for the past 15 months and will be less willing than usual to continue that experience

hereforphone3• 5 years ago

Not being able to go to your favorite cafe / restaurant as frequently != being confined in a windowless structure

dylan60410• 5 years ago

Why does it need to be windowless? You could have windows looking out at arid landscapes of Mars. You'd see sunsets, sunrises, highnoon, etc. You could even see the local "weather".

rbanffy3• 5 years ago

A lot of gamers would be perfectly happy with this setting.

paulpauper• 5 years ago

Yeah they could have done it in Italy too

mikkergp2• 5 years ago

I wonder if this is a continuation of the same research the habitat podcast was based on:

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/the-habitat

The podcast was an interesting big brother style reality show depicting 6 people living inside a potential Mars habitat for a year as research for NASA. Descriptions sound very similar. May want to listen to the podcast before you volunteer :-)

wayne• 5 years ago

I remember the Biosphere 2 project from the early 90s which was everywhere in the news but didn't work out.

"Biosphere 2 was only used twice for its original intended purposes as a closed-system experiment: once from 1991 to 1993, and the second time from March to September 1994. Both attempts, though heavily publicized, ran into problems including low amounts of food and oxygen, die-offs of many animals and plants included in the experiment (though this was anticipated since the project used a strategy of deliberately 'species-packing' anticipating losses as the biomes developed), group dynamic tensions among the resident crew, outside politics and a power struggle over management and direction of the project."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2

mikkergp2• 5 years ago

Have you watched spaceship earth, the biosphere 2 documentary? I remember learning about it in science class in middle school so it had an aire of legitimacy to it, but that story is nuts, including the fact that it was basically started by a cult with a billionaire best friend and Steve Bannon(yes, that one) being Director of the project for a while.

Retric• 5 years ago

I actually think Biosphere 2 was quite successful. As an engineering project it failed, but in terms of research it provided a lot of useful data.

The core issue with the design was actually concrete absorbing Oxygen from the interior air. That’s exactly the kind of issue you want to consider if we ever want to actually make sustainable habitats. Unfortunately, they never tried to make a biosphere 3, but I suspect that would have been far less ambitious yet more successful.

nonameiguess• 5 years ago

I visited there in 1999. After the original experiment failed, it ended up used by Columbia University for research and a friend of mine from high school was a student there. She and I drove all the way from LA to Oracle, AZ to pick up a friend of hers doing a summer course there, stayed a few days, and he came back to LA to spent the rest of the summer with us.

Years later, in the Army, I was struck by how similar the permanent living structures at the National Training Center are to those at Biosphere II. At least structurally. The students get real rooms whereas we got cots and tape on the floor. Another thing that struck me at NTC was how similar the landscape looked to any pictures I've ever seen of Mars. If NASA wants maximum fidelity, don't just put these people in a closed room, but do it underground in Death Valley.

notRobot• 5 years ago

Came here to mention this, it's a fun podcast to binge in a day/night.

devchix• 5 years ago

I was going to mention this. Here's The Atlantic write-up on the project:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/hi-seas-...

The podcast was pretty entertaining and enlightening, and not too long. 6 (untrained) people in close quarters and isolation for a long time seems a recipe for mayhem. I know astronauts do long stints but they're trained and supported by people who share their purpose.

amelius• 5 years ago

Perhaps ask Jeff Bezos? :)

dylan60410• 5 years ago

Jeff is currently too occupied sueing NASA for not giving him money to use a space craft he hasn't built yet. Then again, maybe NASA should select him as he can't be doing too much suing if he's sequestered for a year.

rasz• 5 years ago

Iv heard John C. Reilly is available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdha2OfhGzk

okareaman• 5 years ago

They should recruit from submariners. I spent two months underwater and didn't mind it.

graderjs• 5 years ago

Some of the questions (re military, specops and confined spaces) seems to suggest they're willing to do just that.

dayyan• 5 years ago

Already did in last year.

ArcticCelt• 5 years ago

NASA is calling for applicants interested in spending a year in a 1,700 square foot habitat

For some people like me that is called an upgrade from last year.

ourmandave• 5 years ago

I spent the last year during the pandemic living alone and growing potatoes. Where do I apply?

exo-pla-net2• 5 years ago

Better source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-is-recruiting-for-yearlong...

To qualify, you must be:

* A U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

* A non-smoker, age 30 to 55 years old, and proficient in English.

* A viable candidate as an actual astronaut. For this, you usually need a master's degree in a STEM field, or you need to be a pilot or doctor or military officer.

rbanffy3• 5 years ago

A U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

I guess I’ll have to wait for the ESA version…

_moof• 5 years ago

You must also pass the medical screening, which prohibits a laundry list of common medications:

- blood pressure medications

- blood thinners

- seizure medications

- daily allergy medications

- diabetic insulin daily

- sleeping aids

- ADHD/ADD medications

- antidepressants

- anxiety medications

(Insert grumbling about "flight surgeon horseshit" here.)

mbrumlow• 5 years ago

Gattaca Here we come!

closeparen• 5 years ago

I don't think my seasonal allergies are going to be a problem in space.

sandworm1013• 5 years ago

Every time they run one of these similations they ignore the common realworld analogue: sailors. All around the world are tiny communities of mostly men living inside metal boxes for months or years at a time. Historic voyages regularly lasted even longer than the proposed mars missions, and where much more dangerous. Astronaughts could learn much from common sailors.

sorenn111• 5 years ago

You can even take it a step further to the subset of sailors that operate on submarines.

awsthro00945• 5 years ago

It doesn't seem like they ignore it. Sailors might be a decent analogue for astronauts while isolated within a space vessel, but that's not what this experiment is. NASA wants to research the environment while on a Martian surface mission, including doing stuff like suiting up in spacesuits to go do work outside, deal with communication delays, and having research responsibilities.

It's somewhat similar to being confined on a sailing ship, but is still different, and the minute details really matter for something like this.

aasasd2• 5 years ago

E.g.:

The ship, without a mast or a rudder, was carried across the northern Pacific Ocean by currents. It drifted for 14 months, during which the crew lived on desalinated seawater and on the rice of their cargo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otokichi

ffitch2• 5 years ago

I think it's not about proving that the long isolation is possible, but rather about carrying this experiment in a controlled environment and doing a study.

inglor_cz• 5 years ago

These people usually make good money and often need to make good money, because they have families and mortgages.

It won't be easy to find people fulfilling all that criteria (including health requirements) and willing to leave a good job for a year.

exo-pla-net2• 5 years ago

They will be compensated. More importantly, it's the chance to do something weird, meaningful, and important. To be a part of history. Not to mention that getting away from one's life is a selling point to quite a number of people. I myself think they'll be swamped with applicants.

fnord77• 5 years ago

"Biosphere 2 Part Deux, The Perchlorate Threat"

fuoqi• 5 years ago

Looks similar to the joint Russian/EU experiment MARS-500: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARS-500

alessandroetc• 5 years ago

Seeking to extend the isolation of COVID life? Well, you're in luck. Apply now!

driverdan• 5 years ago

I don't see anything about compensation. How much do they pay? Considering the requirements they should very pay well for something like this.

Rebelgecko• 5 years ago

I'm guessing that compensation is no better than it would be for astronauts (GS-13 or so, around $100k)

slim• 5 years ago

UV b erry Dr' h fwdir. Ft optDr

shahbaby• 5 years ago

On a side note, I wonder how interested we'll be in Mars once the novelty wears off.

Will it still be a place where we send our best and brightest? Or a place where we send those who have few other options?

My bet is on the latter.

wait_a_minute• 5 years ago

If that didn’t happen to the Moon, why would it happen on even more difficult missions?

ffitch2• 5 years ago

Right on, it's kind of surprising how quickly our interest in the Moon waned off after the first series of Apollo missions

sandworm1013• 5 years ago

A pilot, a doctor, and a military officer are all living together in an RV for a year. Who does the cleaning?

launchiterate• 5 years ago

The new season of Big Brother sponsored by SpaceX.

rezacks• 5 years ago

this reminds me Biosphere project

NASA is looking for people who want to spend a year simulating a mission on Mars

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