If you think you have the right stuff to be a Martian settler, NASA wants to hear from you. The agency is searching for four ambitious explorers to participate in an immersive, year-long simulation of life on Mars. The selected crew will live and work inside Mars Dune Alpha, a state-of-the-art habitat at Johnson Space Center that mimics the conditions future colonists might experience on the Red Planet.

As a crew member, you’ll need to use your critical thinking and problem-solving skills to handle equipment failures, communication delays, resource limitations, and other environmental stressors. Expect to maintain the habitat, conduct scientific research, perform virtual reality spacewalks, direct robotic operations, and figure out how to grow crops in Mars’ unforgiving environment. It will take resilience and determination to survive and thrive.

To even be considered for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, applicants must have the right stuff. You’ll need at least a master’s degree in engineering, computer science, mathematics or other STEM fields. Either 2+ years of directly related professional experience or 1,000 hours of piloting aircraft are also required. And you must be between the ages of 30-55 and in excellent physical health, as maintaining fitness standards will be crucial. Military experience is preferred for understanding skills like leadership and teamwork in confined, stressful settings.

The intensive Mars simulation is part of NASA’s Artemis program to establish a sustained human presence on the moon and Mars. Experiments like this are vital preparations for the health, safety and performance challenges astronauts will face as we venture into the solar system. If a year of living in a small habitat and pretending to be 33.9 million miles from Earth sounds exciting rather than dreadful, apply by April 2, 2025. The next Martian crew’s otherworldly adventures begin shortly after. Red Planet pioneers wanted!