Crew returns from 105 day Mars mission - in Moscow

Six 'astronauts' have returned to the real world after spending 105 days on a simulated mission to Mars. Shut inside a special isolation chamber in Moscow since 31 March, the crew experienced all the stages of a voyage to the Red Planet before finally opening the hatch of their 'spaceship' on 14 July.

The crew included two ESA-selected volunteers: Oliver Knickel, a mechanical engineer in the German army, and Cyrille Fournier, an airline pilot from France. The other four were all Russians: cosmonauts Sergei Ryazansky (commander) and Oleg Artemyev, Alexei Baranov, a doctor, and Alexei Shpakov, a sports physiologist.

During more than three months away from friends and family, the crew had to work, live and survive as if they were on a real space mission. Their programme included launch, the outward journey, arrival, transfer to and from the Martian surface, and the long journey home. They also had to deal with “emergencies” and a communication delay of up to 20 minutes each way.

A small greenhouse enabled them to grow some food, such as salad leaves, radishes and cabbage, to add to the pre-packaged meals. Any spare time was spent reading, watching films, and playing music and games.

"We had an outstanding team spirit throughout the entire 105 days," said Cyrille Fournier. "Living for that long in a confined environment can only work if the crew is really getting along with each other."

You can read the crew’s diaries on http://www.esa.int/esaHS/index.html. The next step will be an even greater challenge, when another six-member crew will be sealed inside the same chamber to experience a 520 day simulation of an actual mission to Mars.