NASA Opens Mars Simulation Applications: Could You Survive a Year Locked Inside a Fake Spaceship?

Volunteers selected by NASA will train and live like astronauts inside sealed habitats at Johnson Space Center in Houston (Credit: Pexel)

NASA is now taking applications for a mission that never leaves the ground. The agency wants four volunteers to spend one year locked inside simulated space habitats at its Johnson Space Center in Houston, with the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog set to begin no earlier than August 2027.

So could you make the cut? For most Americans, the honest answer is no. The requirements read less like a job listing and more like an astronaut screening, and the paperwork alone commits you to roughly 14 months of your life.