Spend 17 months in isolation simulating a trip to Mars

The European Space Agency is running simulations of a trip to Mars, and is seeking volunteers. To participate, you must be willing to spend a whopping 17 months in isolation with 11 other crew members. The location for this grueling “vacation”? A remote location in Moscow.

The test will be conducted in a sealed series of interlocking modules, replicating a space vessel destined for Mars. The plan is that the only contact the 12 crew members will have with the rest of the world during the test are “communications” with “Earth” (the folks at the European Space Agency), complete with the actual time delay.

It sounds claustrophobic, and it is. The entire set up measures the equivalent of 9 truck containers. That’s a small space to be in for such a long time. The purpose of the simulation, conducted at the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems, is to test the behavior of people placed in high stress simulated space travel situations, including cramped quarters, heavy work loads, space walks and surface excursions.

The conditions of space travel include not only a high level of stress and close quarters, but a complete lack of privacy and need for team work in spite of the stressors. The simulation will give scientists a chance to see how to deal with any psychological problems that might arise is extended space travel situations.

Blogre.com, 16.04.2008
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2008/04/16/spend-17-months-in-isolation-simulating-a-trip-to-mars/