Mars500 Crew Enters Isolation Facility as 520-Day Simulated Journey to Mars Launches

By Clay Dillow Posted 06.03.2010 at 11:14 am 12 Comments

See You In 2011 The Mars500 crew, just before "launching" on their 520 day simulated journey to Mars. ESA / Elena Tokmantseva

The second phase of the Mars500 simulated mission to the Red Planet launched this morning as six men -- a Frenchman, an Italian, one Chinese man and three Russians -- were locked inside a 19,500-cubic-foot facility outside of Moscow, where they will remain for the next 520 days.

The crew will remain completely isolated for that duration, going through the motions of a real manned mission to the Martian surface, including a 250 day journey just to get there, 30 days in orbit around mars, and 240 days for the return trip. During the 30 days in orbit around Mars, three of the crew members will "descend" to the surface in a landing module and two will actually conduct a spacewalk on a reconstructed Martian surface.

During the trip, the crew will have to survive under conditions similar to that of a real Mars mission. All of the food they have for the entire journey was locked in the facility with them, so they'll have to ration their supplies. They'll also have to cope with intense periods of monotony, wherein lies the real value in the experiment. Researchers will be monitoring the mental and physical effects on the individual crew members as the deal with their confined environment and lack of communication with the outside world.

That's not to say the crew be totally cut off from their home planet. They will have access to email, though communications will be delayed by up to 40 minutes, just as they would be if the facility were humming through space millions of miles away. But aside from that, it's six dudes in a metal tube for the next year and a half. If all goes well -- meaning no one experiences life-threatening illness or has a complete mental breakdown -- the hatch won't open again until 2011. Let's hope someone packed a deck of cards.

[ESA via PhysOrg]

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12 Comments

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CoolHand032

06/03/10 at 11:34 am

first! and I'm split on this whole thing. It's good to find this sort of stuff out, and I guess it's cheaper than, say, them just going up in orbit for this amount of time so they would at least be weightless..idk. I know I won't be hanging on this mission's every update like I would be a real Mars mission, that's for sure.

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GrantNYC

06/03/10 at 1:19 pm

I feel bad for the guy on the top right... he actually looks like a normal dude. the rest of them seem really socially awkward and dweeby. Hope he makes it without killing his comrades

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martialstuckonearth

06/03/10 at 2:10 pm

I hope these boys are attracted to each other. Otherwise, I see some real problems ahead of them.

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neuenkir

06/03/10 at 2:24 pm

They just need to bring a Gameboy Advance with a solar power adapter, and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. That should get them there and back again.

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Oakspar77777

06/03/10 at 2:58 pm

A year and a half without a decent shower and they descide to put a Frank in there? I know he would be used to the poor hygene, but the other guys have to breathe that air as well.

That said, video games likely would go a long way towards keeping the crew placid - the only problem is that you want the scientist to get there with brains attached. Sure, any kid can sit for 38 straight hours with a bathroom break playing Halo, but can they still run a spectromiter afterwards?

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caradoc01

06/03/10 at 5:32 pm

The only real problem with this experiment is that if someone has a life threatening medical emergency they can still get out...in the real trip to Mars unless you have a doctor on board that person is most likely going to die. If it is the doctor who is injured and dies the rest of the crew better be superman because if they get sick, then they will be floating home.

if I were in this group as a sick mind F, I would sneak in a copy of dualling banjo's and have the onboard system randomly play it.

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MarcusM

06/03/10 at 9:49 pm

Has the decision already been made to send only males to Mars? The dynamics of male/female relationships in close quarters and long duration missions must be addressed, and this was an opportunity to explore that issue. That's a serious blind spot in this whole experiment, in my opinion. I'm pretty sure that female astronauts will be included in any space mission of that magnitude. Might as well find out about the potential problems or lack thereof.

Maybe they should have just locked up these dudes in somebody's basement for 540 days and given them a really big couch, a 50-inch plasma, an X-Box 360, and Air Guitar.

Sorry to be sarcastic, but the glaring omission just blows me away. I'm surprised that the article didn't mention this at all.

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poopshoop

06/03/10 at 11:12 pm

im all for finding more about stuff we dont know yet. But a year and a half is a long commitment. There's also a return trip back. so a 3 year round trip. I think that's pushing it. Any more, and any/everyone will end up going crazy. it's unnatural unless these cosmonauts have the patience and devotion of a monk. a really GOOD monk

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podboq

06/04/10 at 2:57 am

more delightful spam....

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CoolHand032

06/04/10 at 10:20 am

@poopshoop The article says it simulates "a 250 day journey just to get there, 30 days in orbit around mars, and 240 days for the return trip," so not a 5 year mission.

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poopshoop

06/04/10 at 9:17 pm

@CoolHand032

I cant believe im misreading PopSci articles. I guessed 3 yr, not 5 but thanks for the correction. In that case, 1.5 years isnt so bad if thats the whole trip

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MOBIUS_1

08/29/10 at 4:54 am

@POPSCI nice article :P

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