ESA Looking for 'Mars 500' Volunteers

A manned mission to Mars poses more difficulties than simply finding the correct type of engine and hull structure for the spacecraft that will take astronauts there. It is also a journey into the depths of human limits, and at this point mission planners and psychologists are more worried about the human element of the mission than about the space vehicle itself. That is why the European Space Agency (ESA), together with the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) plans to conduct the Mars 500 experiment in 2010.

The study, which will see six volunteers being locked up in a test facility similar to a possible spacecraft design for a Martian journey, will last 520 days, during which time the “astronauts” will undergo the exact same situations space explorers going to the Red Planet would. They will “fly” in a simulated habitat, where even communications with the exterior will be subjected to the same 20-minute delay that is usually recorded between, for example, the Mission Control and the rover Spirit.

The long-duration experiment is primarily designed to test the influences of prolonged sequestration in confined spaces on the human mind and body, as well as the psychological and medical influences that being part of only a small community brings forth. In the case of the actual crew departing for Mars, the journey will last for at least one year and a half, although it may be longer, depending on the stated goals of the mission, ESA highlights in a new press release. The research is part of the European Program for Life and Physical Sciences (ELIPS) and is conducted by the ESA Directorate of Human Spaceflight.

The crew will simulate a 250-day trip to Mars, a 30-day surface exploration, and a 240-day trek back home. During this time, they will be subjected to the same restrictions real astronauts would be, as in no visits, only moderate contact with their families, and no other views but the night sky filled with stars. ESA has already released the requirements for the six-member crew: Russian and English language knowledge, age 25 to 50, height lower than 185 centimeters, and work experience in medicine, biology, life-support systems engineering, computer engineering, electronic engineering or mechanical engineering.

Candidates can only be from Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden or Canada, the states that are part of ELIPS. The deadline for applications is 5 November 2009. All submissions need to be sent to Mars500@esa.int by that time.