Posted on behalf of Katharine Sanderson
In the past few hours in Moscow, two men have walked on the surface of Mars for the second time in a week (video from the first walk, on 14 February, is below). A simulated surface, that is: it’s part of an ongoing experiment to test the psychological pressure on humans in isolated situations, to better understand the conditions astronauts on a genuine flight to Mars might endure.
The experiment, Mars500, has been going on for 8 months, and will end after the 6 crew members (three Russians, one Chinese, one French, one Italian) have been cooped up together for 520 days in nothing more than a few small rooms.
The experiment can’t simulate the weightlessness of space, but the crew do experience the isolation, communication delays and cramped quarters that Mars-bound voyagers would have to go through. Last week, shortly after the mission reached “orbit”, Nature interviewed two crew members – the European Space Agency’s
Diego Urbina and Romain Charles. You can also hear the interview on this week’s Nature podcast.
Life sounds pretty tough sitting in a capsule in Moscow’s Institute for Biomedical Problems – the days are monotonous, and filled with repetitive biomonitoring tests. Yet isolation makes small changes much more significant – when the crew “docked” with the already-orbiting lander module, they were treated to another room in which to roam, and that room was also stuffed full of goodies sent by their families, and a new supply of food. Obviously, a real orbiting lander module at Mars wouldn’t have these treats inside, but it was a major morale boost to the small team.
On 8 February, three of the six crew transferred into the lander module, from which they will conduct three sorties on Martian terrain – two already done and one remaining, set for 21 February. After that, the virtual explorers can look forward to the return journey to the larger module where their crew mates remain.
The experiment might raise a few smiles, but there is a serious need to study how these men cope with the pressures of isolation and restricted diet and movement for such a long period of time. The only other similar laboratory is the International Space Station, but there are huge differences, as Diego Urbina explained to me: communication with Earth is direct from the ISS, and you can peer out the window to get a view of Earth – and a stunning view at that. On the way to Mars, impossible.
The experience has already resonated outside the module in Moscow – the Mars500 crew sent a letter of support, and advice, to the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 2 months last year (BBC).
Once the crew returns safely to Earth, analysts will finish digging through the data their bodies are currently producing in biomonitoring tests. The hope is that part of the puzzle of how to survive a trip to Mars will be on its way to being solved.