Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
If you’ve ever dreamed of living on the Moon or walking across the dusty plains of Mars, Nasa has an opportunity that comes remarkably close, without ever leaving Earth.
The US space agency has opened applications for its next Moon and Mars Exploration Analog mission, a year-long simulation designed to prepare astronauts for future expeditions to the Moon and the Red Planet. The mission is expected to begin no earlier than August 2027 at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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Selected volunteers will spend approximately one year living and working inside two specially designed habitats that recreate the isolation, confinement and operational challenges astronauts are expected to face during deep-space missions.
Participants will operate under conditions similar to those of a lunar outpost or a crewed mission to Mars, with limited resources, communication delays and demanding mission schedules.
The volunteers will perform realistic tasks, including mock Mars spacewalks, scientific exploration and rover operations beyond the main habitat. Throughout the mission, researchers will closely monitor how crews adapt physically and psychologically to long-duration spaceflight conditions.
Nasa says the data collected will help improve astronaut safety, mission planning and habitat design for future Artemis missions and the agency’s long-term goal of establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon before sending astronauts to Mars.
The new program combines lessons from two of Nasa’s earlier analog missions, HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog), which studies the effects of isolation during spaceflight, and CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), which simulates life on the Martian surface.
By integrating the two, Nasa hopes to better understand the complete journey from launch to planetary exploration and return.
Applicants must meet specific educational and physical requirements and undergo a rigorous multi-day selection process, including comprehensive medical and psychological evaluations.
Beyond the qualifications, Nasa says it is looking for candidates with a strong desire for unique challenges and a commitment to advancing human space exploration.
While the participants won’t actually travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere, the experience will provide one of the closest simulations of life on another world, helping pave the way for humanity’s return to the Moon and its first footsteps on Mars.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
