Volunteers begin Mars500 isolation
On their own: Communication with the outside world will be restricted
Six would-be cosmonauts have entered a sealed facility where they will spend 18 months with no windows and only e-mail contact with the outside world.
The men are taking part in the Mars500 project, which aims to simulate a mission to Mars.
They entered the craft, located at a medical institute in Moscow, just before 1100 BST on Thursday.
Scientists say the study will help them understand how humans would cope on a long journey to another world.
During a press conference on Thursday morning, the six men - three Russians, two Europeans and a Chinese man - all described what motivated them to take part in the experiment.
Twenty-six year old Wang Yue from China, the youngest of the volunteers, said he was excited to be involved in a project that he felt would be "excellent for science and for all of humankind".
French volunteer Romain Charles acknowledged that it would be a "difficult" mission and said that he would miss his family and "the Sun and fresh air".
Space on Earth
The project has been designed to be as realistic as possible even though some elements - such as the weightless conditions of spaceflight - cannot be recreated here on Earth.
"They will have to cope with limited consumables, for example," said Dr Martin Zell from the European Space Agency, a key partner in the project.
Continue reading the main story When the very first human steps on Mars, I will be able to say, ＇yeah, I helped do that＇
Diego Urbina
European Mars500 participant
"That means everything will be onboard at the start. There will be no re-load, re-supply whatsoever. It will be like a real mission."
The craft is based at Moscow＇s Institute of Biomedical Problems and comprises a series of interconnected steel canisters. The total interior volume is about 550 cubic metres.
Four of the tubes provide the living and working environment on the "journey" to and from Mars. Their interior has been decorated with wood panelling to give the cylinders a more homely feel.
A fifth module is a mock-up of the Red Planet itself, an enclosed room with a floor covered in rocks and sand.
|
|
