Simulated Mars mission 'lands' back on Earth (isolated for 1.5 years)

BBC ^ | November 4, 2011 | Jonathan Amos

[decimon]

Six men locked away in steel tubes for a year-and-a-half to simulate a mission to Mars have emerged from isolation.

The Mars500 project, undertaken at a Moscow institute, was intended to find out how the human mind and body would cope on a long-duration spaceflight.

It is a venture that has fascinated all who have followed it around the globe.

The study even saw three of the men carry out a pretend landing on Mars, donning real spacesuits and walking across an enclosed sandy yard.

[decimon]

Tubular dwells ping.

[bigheadfred]

The crew has now been taken away into quarantine for medical checks.

After spending 1.5 years in isolation, the crew were put immediately into isolation.

[massgopguy]

“Get your stinking paws off of me you damn dirty ape!”

[Erik Latranyi]

Psychologically speaking, these men always knew it was a simulation and always knew they were never in any danger.

Other than being able to survive in a tube (which submariners have proven for decades) not much else was accomplished here.

[rarestia]

Damn good point, Erik. The six month journey out to Mars would likely be wrought with psychological and mental challenges the likes of which no one has ever seen. Being in a small metal tube hurtling through open space hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth would be one of those nightmares that specOps guys have when they’re thrown into a forest in Texas for 30 days and forced to survive without being captured.

That being said, I think the first trip, regardless of the space agency, should be conducted by elite special operations military personnel to ensure that the grit of an academic or scientist isn’t tested.

I would guess that the first manned mission to Mars would be a simple flyby like they did during Gemini and the early Apollo missions. They have to test, re-test, improve, upgrade, and tweak every little thing to ensure that when we do send civilians, they can handle the trip.

[decimon]

The experiment was called off when they began downloading The Village People from YouTube.

[KarlInOhio]

You do have to see what happens to people when internet ping times go from 50 milliseconds to 20 minutes over the mission. Imagine waiting nearly a half hour between hitting F5 to reload a FreeRepublic page and seeing the result.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

was intended to find out how the human mind and body would cope on a long-duration spaceflight.

How much cosmic radiation were they exposed to?

Because that IS the determinant factor in inter-solar system travel. They'd be fried once they leave the loving embrace of earth's Van Allen belts.

[Rennes Templar]

“Other than being able to survive in a tube (which submariners have proven for decades)”

1.5 yrs in a submarine?

[Lockbox]

and they learn the economy is still bad, there still is high unemployment and it’s all Bush’s fault.

[Mr. K]

while this is valuable research I think the pychology of knowing they were NOT off the planet affects the outcome.

The people who locked temselves in Biosphere II went kinda nuts

I was there last year- it is an amazing place to see, and one private individual is almost 100% responsible for the place.

[bigheadfred]

So that quarantine was just so they could each have a visit with the gynecologist?

[Mannaggia l'America]

specOps guys have when they’re thrown into a forest in Texas for 30 days and forced to survive without being captured.

Take some of the longest lasting Occupy kooks from their tents and shoot them up to Mars. Just tell them there are no 1%'ers on Mars.

[moovova]

In other news...

Two of the pseudo-astronauts have announced their engagement to each other, with a March wedding to be scheduled.

Both of the men confirm that neither one is pregnant, and the wedding is the result of true love found while in the isolation tube together.

A third member of the six-man team has agreed, after being asked by the bride-to-be, to be the Maid of Honor.

Another un-named member of the team did reveal that there were some uncomfortable moments in the chamber as the two lovers eventually carried their relationship to the ultimate physical end. Quoted as saying “We were a little embarassed with the lover’s very obvious physical attraction for each other, but the truly bad times were the “cat fights” the two would have over the smallest things. Days on end of petty and sarcastic comments towards each other...the pouty expressions, the moping around, even some tears...all over, for example, the wrong shade of lipstick.”

[GonzoGOP]

I would guess that the first manned mission to Mars would be a simple flyby like they did during Gemini and the early Apollo missions.

That would actually be harder than the landing. On a free return orbit you have to wait at Mars for around a year. Waiting in orbit is harder than waiting on the surface where you can use local resources for air and fuel.

[OCCASparky]

1.5 yrs in a submarine? Just seems like it. Longest underway I did was 74 days. But there were a lot of 6 days out/1 day in but don't go anywhere cause we're getting underway and you've got the duty anyway type of crap too.

[rarestia]

Oh wow, I didn’t know that. I suppose with the closer proximity of the moon, we never really felt too far away from home.

Yeah, if they had to circle Mars for a year, I’d guess it’d make more sense for them to land and setup camp.

Would I be correct to assume that the return would have to be while Mars is in approach with Earth? How often do Earth and Mars pass each other in orbit? Once a year?

[PAR35]

Must be nice to live in a modern country that can mount a manned space program.

[dog breath]

Rather then send just a crew of men perhaps they could send Lindsay Lohan along and accidentally leave her there.