NASA wants volunteers to spend a year on Mars in extreme simulation experiment

NASA is on the hunt for volunteers to go on a simulated year-long trip to Mars, and there is a non-flushable toilet as part of things. 

There are plenty of people across the globe who are obsessed with space and what lies out there in the cosmos. However, the number of people who actually get to explore that as a day-to-day job is pretty minuscule in comparison. 

While space exploration is becoming a bit more commonplace thanks to places like Blue Origin and SpaceX, NASA remains the gold standard. 

In fact, they’re actually on the hunt for volunteers to ‘go’ to Mars, but you wouldn’t actually leave the United States or be able to say you’ve actually left the Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA wants volunteers to ‘go’ to Mars with non-flushable toilet

It is a part of NASA’s research program, where they take on volunteers to help them with simulations and experiments around future projects. 

These research volunteers will” spend one year living and working in interplanetary environments at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston” and operate “under isolated conditions expected during crewed missions to the Moon or Red Planet.”

“Using the HERA habitat as a spacecraft and the CHAPEA habitat as a base, the volunteers will live and work in confined, isolated environments that simulate months-long flights to and from other planetary surfaces,” NASA explained. 

“They also will mimic surface operations, including mock Mars walks and using a rover to travel to exploration sites located beyond the main habitat.”

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Of course, while the program is open to everyone, there are tests that you need to pass to secure a spot. This includes physical exams, as well as the ability to stay inside “two confined habitats” for the duration of things.

That includes working with a non-flushable toilet, similar to the issue that the Artemis II crew ran into back in April with their broken toilet. 

Astronauts were forced to rely on backup contingency bags while a fix was sought for the $30 million piece of kit. Thankfully, it was sorted before too long.