Mars500 Reaches Impressive Milestone

Officials at the European Space Agency (ESA) say that the Mars500 experiment, in which they play a large role, has reached a brand-new stage, as the first 105 days of isolation have ran out.

In a previous, albeit smaller iteration of this experiment, a number of pseudo-astronauts were locked away in isolation for 105 days, with the goal of simulating the effects of a future journey to Mars on the human mind.

But the new stage in the experiment calls for six “astronauts” to remain locked in a space ship simulator for as much as 520 days. Recently, the crew reached the 105-day mark.

This means that everything the team does from now on is new and not-yet-experienced. All the participants had some idea about how the past experiment unfolded, but now they are all on their own.

The main goal of Mars500 is to simulate a round-trip to the Red Planet, including a month spent at Mars, collecting samples and performing scientific studies.

It is currently estimated that a trip to our neighboring planet, taking place at the maximum speed allowed by existing technologies, would take about one and a half years to complete.

At this point, the experiment crew is facing another 400 days spent in their replica, which is located inside a research institute in Moscow, the Russian Federation.

“It is difficult to think that in a year’s time we’ll still be here in the modules. We just try to take every day as it comes and make the best out of that,” says Romain Charles.

“This has worked fine for 105 days, and it will work for the more than 400 days left,” explains the Mars500 participant, who was selected for the mission by officials at ESA.

“It has already been a long time, and at this phase of the mission the previous crew would have been excited, as they were looking forward to ending their isolation,” adds jokingly Diego Urbina.

“We don’t have that luxury. We just have to keep our minds as steady as possible – for what will be a very long time,” adds the “astronaut,” who was also selected by ESA.

Given that the mission took off for the Red Planer on June 14, they astronauts are due back around early November 2011, those in charge of managing the mission say.

Former participants in the Mars105 experiment said that the greatest danger for the crew is the period in the middle of their alloted time. The first weeks and the last ones are the easiest, they said.

The astronauts also revealed that sticking to a daily routine and keeping close with crew mates is the best way to endure the prolonged waiting period ahead.