{"id":534979,"date":"2026-07-06T01:12:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T01:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/534979\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T01:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T01:12:12","slug":"nasa-may-pay-you-to-live-in-a-moon-and-mars-simulator-for-a-year-heres-how-to-apply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/534979\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA may pay you to live in a moon and Mars simulator for a year \u2014 here’s how to apply"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"An<\/a> Pgiam\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to live life on the moon or Mars, now’s your chance to find out without actually having to leave planet Earth. <\/p>\n

NASA is officially calling for research participants (1) for the agency’s next simulated deep space mission \u2014 the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog \u2014 set to start in August 2027. <\/p>\n

Must Read <\/p>\n

Volunteers will spend one year living and working in extremely isolated interplanetary environments at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Throughout the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog mission simulation, researchers will study the volunteers’ health and performance under both resource limitations and mission demands. <\/p>\n

Insights from the year-long tests will be used to help “keep astronauts safe and mission-ready” when they embark on planetary surface operations in the future \u2014 validating hardware, technologies, protocols and more. The findings may also be used to inform plans for a sustained lunar presence through NASA’s Moon Base and upcoming Artemis missions, as well as provide valuable data for NASA’s Human Research Program (2). <\/p>\n

Here’s what you need to know about the celestial experience \u2014 and how to apply for this potentially paid opportunity in case you’re curious about interstellar life. <\/p>\n

What is the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog? <\/p>\n

NASA’s year-long mission simulation, the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, “evolves elements of the agency’s HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog (3)) and CHAPEA (Crew Health And Performance Exploration Analog (4)) missions into a single, integrated mission,” according to the agency. The goal is to streamline how researchers evaluate astronaut adaptation within a wide range of potential mission scenarios. <\/p>\n

The Moon and Mars Exploration Analog will take place in two confined habitats. It will utilize the HERA habitat as a spacecraft and the CHAPEA habitat as a base, where the volunteers will live and work in conditions that simulate months-long flights to and from other planets. <\/p>\n

The volunteers are also expected to mimic surface operations, such as mock Mars walks and operating a rover to travel to exploration sites. <\/p>\n

Story Continues <\/p>\n

Read More: 7 essential money moves to make once you’ve saved $10,000<\/a> <\/p>\n

Who is eligible for the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog? <\/p>\n

NASA outlines specific qualifications (5) and notes that volunteers must pass NASA’s physical and psychological assessments, be willing to take part in a multi-day selection process and consent to an approximately 14-month long mission (including 12 months in two different confined habitats and two months of pre- and- post-mission training and data collection). <\/p>\n

To be eligible for the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, you must be a U.S citizen or green card holder between 30 and 55 years old (though candidates outside of that age range may be considered). You must also be proficient in English, be no more than 74 inches tall and have neither dietary restrictions nor a history of sleepwalking or taking sleeping aids. <\/p>\n

Applicants must also have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics, though an advanced degree in a STEM field is preferred and may be substituted for experience. (A master’s degree, for example, equates to one year of experience, while a doctoral degree equates to three years of experience). Military experience may also count as equivalent years of experience. <\/p>\n

“Candidates also should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding experiences and interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare for extended stays on the lunar surface and the first crewed mission to Mars,” the agency writes. <\/p>\n

Does the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog pay? <\/p>\n

According to NASA (5), “research volunteers will be reimbursed,” though “some restrictions apply to NASA civil servants and contractors.” While the agency doesn’t deliberately outline exactly how or what volunteers will be “reimbursed” for the upcoming simulation, volunteers have been paid in the past. <\/p>\n

NASA said that “compensation for participating in the mission [was] available” in its spring 2025 Mars simulator (6), though specifics surrounding the salary were not disclosed. In an earlier 2024 summer simulator, volunteers were reportedly paid $10 per hour (7) for all “waking hours,” for up to 16 hours per day. <\/p>\n

NASA has also been known to pay volunteers upwards of $18K (8) just for laying in bed for extended periods of time \u2014 doing whatever they wanted, including paid remote work \u2014 to research the effects of microgravity on the human body. <\/p>\n

To learn more and apply for the upcoming Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, you can visit the NASA Analogs Recruiting site (9). <\/p>\n

You May Also Like <\/p>\n

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Article Sources <\/p>\n

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines<\/a>. <\/p>\n

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (1<\/a>), (2<\/a>), (3<\/a>), (4<\/a>), (5<\/a>), (6<\/a>); Houston Chronicle (7<\/a>); Forbes (8<\/a>); Analog Studies Unit (9<\/a>) <\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com<\/a> under the title: NASA may pay you to live in a moon and Mars simulator for a year \u2014 here’s how to apply<\/a> <\/p>\n

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pgiam\/Getty Images If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to live life on the moon or Mars,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[61,60,2704,10674,227440,91,82],"class_list":["post-534979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mars","tag-mars-exploration","tag-mission-simulation","tag-nasa","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/534980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}