NASA Opens Yearlong Moon-Mars Simulation for Volunteers

NASA Opens Yearlong Moon-Mars Simulation for Volunteers

NASA is recruiting four volunteers for a yearlong analog mission that will simulate travel and life on the Moon and Mars, with the project set to begin no earlier than August 2027 at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The mission is designed to test how people adapt to isolation, confinement, delayed routines and astronaut-like work in conditions that resemble deep-space exploration.

What NASA is testing

The new program is called the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, and it will run for 12 months inside two different confined habitats, with two additional months reserved for pre- and post-mission training and data collection. NASA says the goal is to reduce risks for future crewed missions by studying how humans behave during long-duration space travel and surface operations.

A key part of the research is the “Mars time” factor. Mars days, or sols, are about 40 minutes longer than Earth days, and that shift can affect sleep, performance and health over time. For mission planners, that is not a small detail; circadian misalignment is one of the biggest operational stressors in deep-space work.

Who can apply

NASA says applicants must be U.S. citizens or green card holders, between 30 and 55 years old, no taller than 74 inches, and fluent in English, although candidates outside the age range may still be considered with additional approval. They also must be willing to commit to the full mission schedule, pass physical and psychological screening, and have no dietary restrictions, sleepwalking history or use of sleep aids.

The agency is also looking for people with astronaut-like academic backgrounds, including a bachelor’s degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Higher STEM education and military experience may also count toward eligibility. In other words, NASA wants participants who can handle both the technical and psychological demands of a sealed mission.

NASA Opens Yearlong Moon-Mars Simulation for Volunteers

Why the habitats matter

The simulation uses two different habitat types to imitate two phases of a real mission. In the first phase, volunteers will live inside a 60-square-meter spacecraft mock-up, where they will simulate travel from Earth to the Moon or Mars. Each of the four crew members will have a small private cabin for work, sleep and daily life.

In the second phase, the crew will move into a larger 84-square-meter surface habitat, where they will grow crops, monitor health and practice spacewalk-style tasks in a specially built terrain area. NASA says the design reflects an earlier stage of surface infrastructure development, which is relevant both for future Mars exploration and for the near-term goal of building a lunar base.

Why NASA needs it

NASA has already run many analog missions, including transit simulations and separate habitat studies, but this will be the first project to combine both approaches into one continuous framework. That matters because long missions are not just a question of engineering; they are also a question of human endurance.

The agency’s own experience shows why. Participants in earlier habitat studies reported emotional strain from missing major family events, limited food variety and the absence of normal Earth-bound sensory cues such as sunlight and wind. Those details sound simple, but they are exactly the kind of variables that can make or break a mission in space.

What this means for spaceflight

The broader value of the project is clear: if NASA can understand how people cope with confinement, altered schedules and limited resources on Earth, it can better prepare astronauts for missions farther from home. That includes future Moon operations, Mars preparation and the logistics of maintaining crew health over time.

For investors, engineers and the wider space industry, the signal is also practical. Human-spaceflight progress depends not only on rockets and hardware, but on the ability to design systems that keep crews functioning for months at a time. That makes analog missions a quiet but essential part of the deep-space economy.
NASA’s new volunteer mission is less about pretending to go to Mars and more about learning what a real Mars mission will demand from people. By studying sleep, health, behavior and team performance inside confined habitats, the agency is building the human side of future lunar and Martian exploration.
By Miles Harrington 
July 10, 2026

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