NASA Is Recruiting Crews To Help Get To Mars & The Hiring Process Is So Intense

There are NASA Mars mission jobs available right now and the hiring process is so intense that it could take up to 13 months to complete.

NASA is accepting applications to participate as the crew of a one-year CHAPEA mission that will start in Fall 2022. CHAPEA is a series of missions that will simulate year-long stays on Mars, including simulated spacewalks, crop growth, meal preparation, exercise and maintenance work, and the results could impact future NASA missions to the surface of Mars.

To be considered for the position, you have to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, be between the ages of 30 and 55, have a master's degree in a STEM field from an accredited institution, have at least two years of related professional experience in a STEM field or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time on a jet aircraft, and be able to pass NASA's long-duration flight astronaut physical.

The master's degree requirement can be replaced by a doctorate in medicine or doctorate in osteopathic medicine, completion of or current enrollment in a test pilot school program, or two years of work toward a doctoral program in a related science, technology, engineering or math field.

However, applicants with a bachelor's degree and other specific qualifications — relevant additional education, military, or at least four years of professional experience in a STEM field — may also be considered for the job.

If you're selected as a finalist, you'll have to undergo medical evaluations, psychological testing and psychiatric screening to determine your suitability for a demanding long-duration isolation mission. Candidates are also required to have received a COVID-19 vaccine and show proof that they're fully vaccinated.

Anybody with food allergies, avoidances or gastrointestinal disorders won't be selected along with those on specific medications like blood thinners, seizure medications, daily allergy medications and antidepressants.

Applications are being accepted until 5 p.m. CT on September 17, 2021.