From the ArcaMax Publishing, Science & Technology Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/technology/s-178326-631976
PARIS (UPI) -- Starting next spring, the European Space Agency will
send a crew of six on a simulated 500-day trip to Mars.
The project is designed to investigate the psychological and medical
aspects of a long-duration mission, such as to Mars.
During the simulated Mars mission, known as Mars500, the crew will be
locked inside a special Russian isolation facility in Moscow and will
experience various scenarios as if they really were traveling to the
Red Planet.
The Paris-headquartered ESA said the crew will have to cope with
simulated emergencies, as well as possible real emergencies and
illnesses. Communication delays of as much as 40 minutes will not make
life any easier.
"Our main interest is to look at the psychology of such a mission,
knowing that you are enclosed for 500 days," said ESA scientist Mark
Heppener. "At the start of their mission the crew will be supplied
with all the food they will have to live off for the duration of the
study," he added. "They have to keep track of their consumables
amongst themselves. This limited food supply could lead to additional
tensions amongst the crew."