Four people smile up at the camera. They are wearing dark uniforms and one person has a U.S. flag patched onto the sleeve. They are close together, in a small, metallic, well-lit ladder well.

A crew inside NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog looks up from the habitat’s ladder well for a team photo.

NASA

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NASA

Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut without risking your life in space? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you. NASA is calling for people with a science background to apply for a simulated mission to the Moon and Mars. Four adults will spend a year isolated in two enclosures meant to simulate both traveling through deep space and living on Mars. Learn whether you fit the profile and what NASA researchers hope to learn from the mission in this episode.

Interested in more space news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org and we may cover it in an upcoming segment.

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This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez and Robert Rodriguez.