Will Participate In A Simulated Mission To Mars

By most estimations, it will take about a year and a half for spacefarers to reach Mars, take some time to look around, and return to Earth. And to simulate such a mission, the European Space Agency has developed "Mars500" in which a group of 6 volunteers will be sealed in a 1,000 square foot steel complex for 520 days with no contact other than by radio to the outside world.

One of those volunteers, Alexie Sitev, got married a month ago.

The series of compartments that Sitev and his companions (all male) will be occupying are intended to simulate as closely as possible the confining environment of a spacecraft en-route to Mars. All of the food, water, and other supplies for the 18 month experiment will be loaded into the complex as well, and the intention is not to re-open the capsule until the end of the mission. There is also a simulated Martian environment that the participants will "explore" for a month before returning to the main compartment for the 250 day "return" to Earth.

The London Daily Mail reports that the crew consists of three Russians, a Chinese, a Frenchman, and an Italian. Just-married Sitev said while it would be very difficult to be separated from his new wife Ekaterina, and to "give up sex" for such a long time, he said the largest challenge is likely to be the monotony of the days passing in the simulated outbound and inbound legs of the journey.

Ekaterina, a 35-year-old doctor, said it was important for Sitev to fulfill his ambitions, though she had to admit she was surprised when he told her he had volunteered for the experiment. He said he decided to marry her before entering the capsule to prove his commitment to her.

The volunteers will be allowed to take some personal items with them, as well as being supplied with laptops, books, movies, and exercise equipment during their stay. They will eat only the foods that might be taken with them on an actual mission to Mars, and even radio signals will be delayed by 20 seconds to simulate the communications lag over interplanetary distances. The experiment will study the psychological aspects of long isolation, as well as stress, hormone levels, sleep quality, moods, and diet. Organizers said that if a participant decides halfway through the simulation that they "just can't cope", they will be allowed to leave, though every effort will be made to convince him to stay with the program.

FMI: www.esa.int