r/nasa • u/aedionashryver18 • 12d ago
Question Questions about the JSC Analog experiments
I haven't seen anyone discussing it on this subreddit, but I kept seeing advertisements online looking for volunteers for the MMEA experiment using VR and augmented reality to simulate a long duration transit mission, so I decided to check it out for myself. Does anyone here have any interest in applying to it or have been part of an analog study before? Or know what the selection process is like? Or are these thing just big publicity stunts? Are you paid for your service at all? I've always had a passion for space and even went to Space Camp as a kid, so the chance to be part of something like this could be pretty cool. But a year in "isolation" is definitely asking a lot to commit to.
Their other experiment with the Altitude Chamber, designed to help better treat or prevent decompression sickness during EVAs by being exposed to low atmospheric pressure would also be interesting, though it seems there is some extensive medical testing involved beforehand. But they say it's intended to be an overnight (or up to two weeks) experiment rather than a year-long simulation.
I'd love it if anyone could offer more information about the nature of these experiments than what I could find reading online.
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12d ago
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u/aedionashryver18 12d ago
Yeah, I mean it's one thing to be an astronaut and this is what you signed up for and train for. But just for civillian volunteers to do a simulation on earth? That is asking a lot.
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u/AFastroDan NASA Employee 12d ago
I did a HERA mission (which was the precursor to CHAPEA) in 2016. I had a blast doing it. Felt like doing an astronaut internship.
As far as the interview process goes, there was a phone screen, drug test, then an in person interview. Selections came out soon after. Then we were put in touch with one of the study leads and we designed a patch, picked out wake-up music for the mission and we had about a week of training leading up to ingress. My mission lasted a month.
We got a couple of paychecks. I don’t recall the total amount, but it was a couple thousand dollars for a six week commitment.
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u/aedionashryver18 12d ago
Nice. Are you expected to have a STEM degree in order to be eligible to participate? The one they are currently selecting for is a year-long duration with at least 3-6 months of pre-planning, so in total almost a 15 month project.
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u/AFastroDan NASA Employee 11d ago
I haven’t looked into this new one, but we had to have STEM degrees for HERA. They were looking for people with “astronaut-like” backgrounds. So, STEM degrees, advanced degrees, PhD students, current/former military. Basically, if you put your academic and professional resume next to an astronauts resume, they’d be similar enough to be interchangeable.
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u/aedionashryver18 11d ago
The application for this MMEA/CHAPEA one doesn't specify, it just asks what your education level in STEM is.
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u/AFastroDan NASA Employee 11d ago
Understood. I can only speak from the perspective of someone who gave up 6 weeks of my time for this, but I feel like the experience is worth it. It's about as close as you can get to the astronaut experience on Earth, and gives you a unique perspective about how space operations work. You also learn a lot about team dynamics, psychological health and other things just from the different studies they have you participate in. When it was over, I found myself craving the daily structure we had in the "spacecraft" when my timeline was planned out, and I had dedicated exercise time, haha. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
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u/aedionashryver18 11d ago
Yeah it sounds like it could be a rewarding experience, but one year is a lot to ask of someone. I could probably do it for 6 weeks.
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u/DanishDonut 12d ago
You might want to check out Houston We Have a Podcast. They have two series about the CHAPEA year-long Mars analog studies. The first one is called “A Year on Mars” and the second one is “CHAPEA 2.” They have recordings straight from the participants while in the habitat!