Spending a Year and a Half in Martian Isolation Looks Kind of Fun

Well it wont' be with 5 guys and one woman!

I find this whole thing to be a waste of time. These people are not accurate test samples becuase they are aware that should something go wrong, they need go no further than the other side of the wall. For a good test, without going to mars, they should group these people in an actual space environment, or as a second option, undersea. Testing these people the way they are now just leaves out too many variables, including important variables like the fear people should have during a long stay in an environment in space.

oh for the love of god, why don't they just spend all that wasted money on launching a 20Kw(or was it Mw?) nuclear reactor into space for a one month trip? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be locked up with a single gender crew for a year and a half....

Its MW. And yes I agree, this whole thing seems to be a huge waste of time and money. We are technically capable of getting there in a month(all we need is a few billion dollars) But even though a billion $$ is alot, we did'nt have any problems spending over a trillion not too long ago on something that still is not resolved.

@Spotcat

I'm sure that if this mission is a success everyone won't assume we know all there is to know about sending a crew on a long, isolated, and dangerous mission. Why bother sending a crew to space or undersea if we're not sure it can be done in a relatively safe and non-stressful environment? A waste of time (and money) would be sending people into space only to find they are driven mad by boredom or each other because we didn't spend enough time on earth studying these issues.

Looks like they've already gone nuts.

The experimenters are probably waiting until near the end of the mission to subject these guys to some real stress. We wouldn't want them at each others throats or forming factions so early. I hope they have some nice surprises planned for this group. Here's a couple I would like to see.

1. Tell the crew that they will now placing the module under water and start subjecting it to stresses. Make these test subjects feel fear every time they hear a creek, clank or feel the module start turning or see a leak.

2. Have a communications module or power supply module blow and leave them without power for a few days. Make it very hot and then very cold.

I'm sure the designer of this project are well aware of all the real world 'psychology' that's involved here. Let's give them time, I'm sure this will make for one of the best 'Reality TV' shows we've seen in a while.

Until we can simulate zero g then its a waste of money. Testing psycology and stress is all fine and good but if the human body can't stand that long of a trip at zero g without losing muscle mass then its all for not.

The wood paneling and furniture gives the “Ship” a rather interesting low budget dorm-like look. Who brought the rug? Going off the ISS model, the ship should be dull off-white and blue metal with screaming loud fans, cables everywhere, and other noises and annoying things to drive the crew mad. Agree too that without reduced gravity there is a serious missing element to the whole thing.

What happenens in the Mar500...stays in the Mar500.

It's all fun and games until the pissed off aliens show up...

Not only they've already gone nuts... it maybe also that their nuts are goners too.

That looks trouble. Point should be reconsidering space and the way to cross space. Distance and time aint what we do percieve with our 3-D senses but I guess we do love that hard way. Therefor we are just boiling eggs in a psycho game of winners and loosers within unsignificant treasures.
Mapping dimensions, folding space, bended space, thats the direction to spend our efforts.

Just a thought, But why not just ask anyone who has spent more than 18 months in a prison cell.
Where you scared at any time.
Did you find it boring.
Did you cope in an all male environment.
Did you suffer any mental stress.

There all bases covered $5 millon saved.

well of course thye need it to LOOK like fun since they need morons who want to live like there in jail to go there.

your a good candidate slugger.