520-Day Simulated Mission to Mars Completed

Published on Friday, 04 November 2011 12:03

	By Gregg Bayes-Brown Follow @ATE_Gregg

Mars500, the mission to simulate a return trip to Mars, has successfully completed, and delivered better-than-expected results.

Starting 520 days ago on the 3^rd June 2010, the mission sought to recreate the living conditions of a flight to Mars so that scientists could study the long-term effects of spending a long haul in a confined space.

At 1000 GMT today, the crew were finally released from their capsule at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow.

The mission marks a landmark in Man’s goal of reaching Mars. It faithfully followed the outline for a real mission to Mars, structured with the phases of; the flight to Mars, entering orbit around the red planet, landing, surface exploration, return to orbit, and the arduous trip home.

The crew also performed over 100 experiments during the mock flight, all of which were centred around the problems associated with long-distance space travel.

Additionally, to increase realism of the mission, all communications were delayed with the team to simulate the time any comms would take to travel through space.

The isolation facility they stayed in was divided into 5 sections. Three of them replicated the actual ship, divided into habitat, medical, and utility modules. A fourth module simulated the Martian lander, while the fifth represented the Martian surface itself.

A diagram of the module.

The success of the mission is largely attributed to how the team supported one another, and came together in the face of adversity to help accomplish a goal that would be of extreme importance to future generations.

The crew is an international team, formed from three Russians, one Chinese, and two European members. The team was picked from over 6,000 candidates who put themselves forward.

Speaking today from Paris, ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain heralded “the courage, determination and generosity of these young people who have devoted almost two years of their lives to this project, for the progress of human space exploration.”

“On the Mars500 mission we have accomplished on Earth the longest space voyage ever so that humankind can one day greet a new dawn on a distant but reachable planet,” said Italian ESA crew member Deigo Urbina upon emerging.

Romain Charles, ESA’s French crewmember, also said, “One year and a half ago, I was selected by the European Space Agency to be part of the Mars500 crew. Today, after a motionless trip of 520 days, I'm proud to prove, with my international crewmates, that a human journey to the Red Planet is feasible.

“We have all acquired a lot of valuable experience that will help in designing and planning future missions to Mars.

“We're ready to embark on the next spaceship going there!”

Following their first taste of freedom in 17 months, the team are expected to undergo extensive medical and psychological examinations, both of which are expected to yield yet more data for the experiment.

They will then be given some time off before appearing before the media on November the 8^th.

While the main part of the mission is now over, the crew are also expected to attend a variety of debriefings and evaluations between now and December, proving that even if you run away to space, you can’t escape bureaucracy.

A photo from April following a bit of manipulation. The team posted it with the comment,
"We've got the anti-grav fixed!" 

Relevant Links

Mars500 Diaries

European Space Agency

NASA's New Deep Space Rocket