Prometheus
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Wanted: six men to spend up to two years together in cramped quarters pretending to be astronauts. Alcohol, cigarettes and sex are not allowed
Such Spartan living conditions may sound unappealing but that is what awaits six volunteers about to embark on a gruelling world first: a simulated flight to Mars and back.
The experiment, called Mars 500, will get under way later this month in a mock spaceship housed in the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems in Moscow.
The "lucky" volunteers will spend a minimum of 520 days together in a sealed five-capsule metal unit measuring just 1,000 square feet. Daily life will be strictly regimented: eight hours for sleep, eight hours for work, and eight hours for leisure. Organisers say the joint Russian, Chinese and European crew will have to work hard if they are to ensure that isolation, claustrophobia and monotony do not get the better of them.
"The big question on a long mission to Mars is the human factor," says the European Space Agency which is involved in the project. "How best to select and prepare humans to mentally and physically ensure a space flight of at least one and a half years possibly much longer in a closed environment, seeing the same faces, under constant stress and isolated from family and friends on Earth."
Once the experiment begins, the crew will only have contact with mission controllers and with loved ones via the internet. However, the internet will function with a 20 minute time lag to simulate flight conditions in deep space.
The exercise, parts of which will be broadcast on YouTube, will almost exactly replicate a real mission to the Red Planet though there will be no zero gravity. The first 250-day phase will represent the trip from Earth to Mars, the second phase will simulate a 30-day stint working on the surface of Mars and the third 240-day phase will cover the journey home. If that was not long enough already, organisers say they may throw in another 180 days for good measure, meaning that the experiment could last just under two years.
A cross between a tiny Big Brother house and the set for Blake's 7, the mock spacecraft was built in the 1970s as part of the Soviet space programme. It contains a living capsule divided up into six small cabins as well as a kitchen, lavatory and communal living room. A second capsule is earmarked for medical and psychological experiments, while a third capsule houses a gym and a green house area where the men can grow fresh vegetables to supplement their standard space rations. The last two capsules are glorified simulators that will only be used once the crew have "reached" Mars. One pod has been designed to simulate the interior of a Mars landing vehicle; space suits must be worn inside it at all times. Another capsule is a mock-up of what scientists believe the surface of Mars looks like in order to give crew members a chance to practice spacewalks.
The crew will include three Russians, one Chinese, and two Europeans. Final crew selection will take place in the coming weeks. The European Space Agency predicts the crew members will go down in history. "This mission might lack some of the glory and feeling of the real flight, but it is just as tough and will yield a lot of experience for the future," it said. "The first humans to walk on Mars will surely remember these pioneers."
Mission Mars: six men to spend 520 days in 1,000sq ft capsule - Telegraph
Such Spartan living conditions may sound unappealing but that is what awaits six volunteers about to embark on a gruelling world first: a simulated flight to Mars and back.
The experiment, called Mars 500, will get under way later this month in a mock spaceship housed in the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems in Moscow.
The "lucky" volunteers will spend a minimum of 520 days together in a sealed five-capsule metal unit measuring just 1,000 square feet. Daily life will be strictly regimented: eight hours for sleep, eight hours for work, and eight hours for leisure. Organisers say the joint Russian, Chinese and European crew will have to work hard if they are to ensure that isolation, claustrophobia and monotony do not get the better of them.
"The big question on a long mission to Mars is the human factor," says the European Space Agency which is involved in the project. "How best to select and prepare humans to mentally and physically ensure a space flight of at least one and a half years possibly much longer in a closed environment, seeing the same faces, under constant stress and isolated from family and friends on Earth."
Once the experiment begins, the crew will only have contact with mission controllers and with loved ones via the internet. However, the internet will function with a 20 minute time lag to simulate flight conditions in deep space.
The exercise, parts of which will be broadcast on YouTube, will almost exactly replicate a real mission to the Red Planet though there will be no zero gravity. The first 250-day phase will represent the trip from Earth to Mars, the second phase will simulate a 30-day stint working on the surface of Mars and the third 240-day phase will cover the journey home. If that was not long enough already, organisers say they may throw in another 180 days for good measure, meaning that the experiment could last just under two years.
A cross between a tiny Big Brother house and the set for Blake's 7, the mock spacecraft was built in the 1970s as part of the Soviet space programme. It contains a living capsule divided up into six small cabins as well as a kitchen, lavatory and communal living room. A second capsule is earmarked for medical and psychological experiments, while a third capsule houses a gym and a green house area where the men can grow fresh vegetables to supplement their standard space rations. The last two capsules are glorified simulators that will only be used once the crew have "reached" Mars. One pod has been designed to simulate the interior of a Mars landing vehicle; space suits must be worn inside it at all times. Another capsule is a mock-up of what scientists believe the surface of Mars looks like in order to give crew members a chance to practice spacewalks.
The crew will include three Russians, one Chinese, and two Europeans. Final crew selection will take place in the coming weeks. The European Space Agency predicts the crew members will go down in history. "This mission might lack some of the glory and feeling of the real flight, but it is just as tough and will yield a lot of experience for the future," it said. "The first humans to walk on Mars will surely remember these pioneers."
Mission Mars: six men to spend 520 days in 1,000sq ft capsule - Telegraph
