500 day mission to Mars begins

An international ‘crew’ is about to set off on a historic mission to Mars – well almost. For the next 520 days, six people will be shut inside a ‘spacecraft’ located in Moscow, Russia, and carry out a simulated mission that will be as close to the real thing as possible. Two shorter simulations, held in 2007 and 2009, have already been completed successfully.

The ‘spacecraft’ is actually a series of large, linked cylinders located in Russia’s Institute of Biomedical Problems. The sealed mockup includes an interplanetary spaceship, a Mars lander and a Martian landscape. After 250 days, the crew will land on the planet to carry out ‘surface operations’. Three of them will spend a month on a Mars-like surface wearing modified Russian spacesuits, while the others remain in the orbiting ‘spacecraft’.

The all male ‘crew’ includes three Russians, one Chinese and two Europeans. Diego Urbina, age 27, is an Italian-Colombian engineer who has wide experience in space research. Frenchman Romain Charles, age 31, works for a company that produces special panels for leading car manufacturers.

The volunteers’ journey to Mars will begin on 3 June, when they close the hatch and shut themselves away from the outside world for the next 17 months. They will have to survive on the food provided at the beginning of their trip. Communication with Earth will only be via e-mail and the connection will occasionally break down. There will also be a time delay of up to 40 minutes between sending a message and receiving a reply. Each person’s health and behaviour will be monitored carefully throughout the mission.