Mock Mission to Mars

Mock Mission to Mars

Associated Press November 4, 2011

http://news.yahoo.com/isolated-crew-completes-520-day-mock-mars-mission-190426327.html

Moscow’s Institute for Medical and Biological Problems conducted the longest mock space mission

in history. Six men spent 520 days in cramped, windowless compartments to simulate a trip to

Mars. Researchers studied their responses to confinement, stress and fatigue. They communicated with their families and space officials through the internet. They showered only every ten days and ate food similar to what is available on the International Space Station. The scientists stated that the psychological conditions are even more challenging on a mock mission because there would be none of the euphoria or danger of space travel. Halfway through the mission, the men simulated a landing, emerging from the capsule in heavy space suits, planting their flags in a sand covered room.

"If anything, the make-believe nature of this exercise's goal — a simulated Mars walk — would have made it even harder psychologically than a real mission," said James Oberg, a space consultant and NASA veteran. "So the team's success is even more impressive, not less so, because it was 'only a game.'" However, Oberg felt the lack of any female crew members was a flaw in the experiment.

"Aside from the absence of physiological factors such as weightlessness and cosmic radiation, the most glaring shortcoming of this exercise was the all-male composition of the crew," he said. "Psychological studies of frontier life and extended expeditions suggest that aside from specific skills they contribute, the presence of women in an isolated group is a positive, 'civilizing' effect, not a stress-inducing distracting influence."

But the scientists were impressed with the crew’s ability to overcome the language barrier between the three Russian, one Chinese, one French and one Italian-Columbian crew members.

The crew was proud to complete the longest space flight simulation so that "humankind can one day greet a new dawn on the surface of distant but reachable planet." A real trip to Mars is not expected before the year 2030.

It was understandable the crew was looking forward to spending time in the warm sunshine after 17 months of confinement. It is remarkable they were able to get along well for such a long time.