NASA is looking for four participants to live in the BIG-designed Mars simulation, Mars Dune Alpha, for one full year in preparation for human exploration of the planet. This is the second of three missions in NASA’s CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) program, in which four volunteers will live in the 1,700-square-foot habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The ground mission will begin in spring 2025. Mars Dune Alpha, 3D-printed by construction company ICON and designed by BIG, features private quarters for each volunteer, with dedicated workstations, medical stations, food-growing stations and shared living spaces. Life in Mars Dune Alpha will resemble the expected experience for those living in a future Mars surface habitat, complete with the typical environmental stressors of the planet as well as limited resources.
