MARS-500
Encyclopedia
Mars-500 was an international multi-part isolation experiment simulating a manned flight to Mars
. The experiment's facility was located at the Russian Academy of Sciences
' Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow, Russia. A total of 640 experiment days were scheduled between 2007 and 2011, divided into three stages. During each stage, the crew of volunteers lived and worked in a mockup spacecraft. Communication with the outside world was limited, and was conducted with a realistic time delay of up to 25 minutes, to simulate the real-life communications lag between Mars and Earth. Similarly, a realistically limited supply of on-board consumables was provided for the volunteers. Although some conditions, such as weightlessness
and cosmic radiation, could not be simulated, the experiment was intended to yield valuable psychological and medical data on the effects of long-term isolation. The experiment also permitted the study of the technical challenges of long-distance spaceflight, such as communications lag and resource rationing.
The 520-day final stage of the experiment, which was intended to simulate a full-length manned mission, ended on 4 November 2011. This stage was conducted by a six-man international crew, consisting of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian and a Chinese citizen. The stage included a simulation of a manned Mars landing
, with three simulated Mars-walks carried out on 14, 18 and 22 February 2011. The experiment ended with all the participants reportedly in optimal physical and psychological shape.
The second, 105-day stage of the Mars-500 experiment began on 31 March 2009 when six volunteers started living in the experiment's isolated living complex. On 14 July 2009, this stage of experiment was completed.
The third and longest stage of the experiment, intended to simulate a complete 520-day mission to Mars, began on 3 June 2010 and ended on 4 November 2011.
The isolation facility consisted of five different modules. Three of the modules – the habitat, utility, and medical modules – simulated the main spacecraft. The fourth module simulated the Martian-lander ship and was connected to the main spacecraft. The fifth module was a simulator of the Martian surface, and is connected to the Martian-lander. The combined volume of the modules was 550 m³ (19,423.1 cu ft).
The facility included all the necessary equipment for running the experiment. These included communications and control systems, ventilation systems, air and water supplies, electrical installations, sewage systems, air and water quality monitoring and partial recycling systems, medical equipment, fire and other safety monitoring systems, and emergency equipment. The modules were maintained at Earth-normal barometric pressure.
, laboratory, and diagnostic investigations. If a crew-member had become ill, they would have been isolated and treated in the module.
Marina Tugusheva, the only woman of the crew, was excluded from the longer missions, to prevent sexual tension from jeopardising the mission.
The other member of the crew, a replacement, was Mikhail Sinelnikov (Михаил Олегович Синельников), a 37-year-old Russian engineer. The mission started on 3 June 2010 and concluded on 4 November 2011, whereupon the participants entered a four-day quarantine
before leaving the facility.
News articles on the project
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. The experiment's facility was located at the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
' Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow, Russia. A total of 640 experiment days were scheduled between 2007 and 2011, divided into three stages. During each stage, the crew of volunteers lived and worked in a mockup spacecraft. Communication with the outside world was limited, and was conducted with a realistic time delay of up to 25 minutes, to simulate the real-life communications lag between Mars and Earth. Similarly, a realistically limited supply of on-board consumables was provided for the volunteers. Although some conditions, such as weightlessness
Weightlessness
Weightlessness is the condition that exists for an object or person when they experience little or no acceleration except the acceleration that defines their inertial trajectory, or the trajectory of pure free-fall...
and cosmic radiation, could not be simulated, the experiment was intended to yield valuable psychological and medical data on the effects of long-term isolation. The experiment also permitted the study of the technical challenges of long-distance spaceflight, such as communications lag and resource rationing.
The 520-day final stage of the experiment, which was intended to simulate a full-length manned mission, ended on 4 November 2011. This stage was conducted by a six-man international crew, consisting of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian and a Chinese citizen. The stage included a simulation of a manned Mars landing
Mars landing
A Mars landing is a landing of a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Of multiple attempted Mars landings by robotic, unmanned spacecraft, six were successful. There have also been studies for a possible manned mission to Mars, including a landing, but none have been attempted.-Mars probe program:In...
, with three simulated Mars-walks carried out on 14, 18 and 22 February 2011. The experiment ended with all the participants reportedly in optimal physical and psychological shape.
Antecedent
An experiment called SFINCSS-99, conducted by the same institute, began on 3 December 1999 and lasted 110 days.Experiment stages
The first fifteen-day stage of the Mars-500 experiment took place from 15 November 2007 to 27 November 2007. The purpose of this stage was to test the technical equipment, facilities, and operating procedures for the voyage.The second, 105-day stage of the Mars-500 experiment began on 31 March 2009 when six volunteers started living in the experiment's isolated living complex. On 14 July 2009, this stage of experiment was completed.
The third and longest stage of the experiment, intended to simulate a complete 520-day mission to Mars, began on 3 June 2010 and ended on 4 November 2011.
Scientific objectives
The experiment was designed to allow:- Organization of the activity of the crew and its communication with the ground-based control center regarding peculiarities typical for the Martian flight
- Verification of the methods and means of control and monitoring of the habitat during lengthy crew stays in confined and pressurized conditions
- Simulation of the activity of the crew on the surface of Mars and operations during the flight
- Verification of the methods and means of control, diagnostics and forecast of the state of health and working capacity, improvement of means of providing of medical help and prophylaxis
- Creation of reference-information system, providing activity of the crew, keeping and transfer of electronic information
- Approbation of methods and autonomous means of psychological support, using the sociomappingSociomappingSociomapping is a method developed for processing and visualization of relational data . It uses the data-landscape metaphor, creating a visually coded picture resembling a map that can be interpreted with similar rules as navigation in the landscape...
method
Facility
The experiment facility was located on the Institute of Biomedical Problems' site in Moscow. The complex consisted of the isolation facility, the mission operations room, technical facilities, and offices.The isolation facility consisted of five different modules. Three of the modules – the habitat, utility, and medical modules – simulated the main spacecraft. The fourth module simulated the Martian-lander ship and was connected to the main spacecraft. The fifth module was a simulator of the Martian surface, and is connected to the Martian-lander. The combined volume of the modules was 550 m³ (19,423.1 cu ft).
The facility included all the necessary equipment for running the experiment. These included communications and control systems, ventilation systems, air and water supplies, electrical installations, sewage systems, air and water quality monitoring and partial recycling systems, medical equipment, fire and other safety monitoring systems, and emergency equipment. The modules were maintained at Earth-normal barometric pressure.
Habitable module
The habitable module was the main living quarters for the crew. The cylindrical 3.6 metre module consisted of six individual crew compartments, a kitchen/dining room, a living room, the main control room, and a toilet. The individual bedroom compartments, which had an area of approximately 3 m² (3.6 sq yd) each, contained a bed, a desk, a chair and shelves for personal belongings.Medical module
The cylindrical medical module measured 3.2 metre and housed two medical berths, a toilet, and equipment for routine medical examinations. It also contained equipment for telemedicalTelemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
, laboratory, and diagnostic investigations. If a crew-member had become ill, they would have been isolated and treated in the module.
Mars landing module simulator
The Mars landing module simulator was only used during the 30-day "Mars-orbiting" phase of the experiment. The 6.3 metre cylindrical module accommodated up to three crew members, and had three bunk beds, two workstations and a toilet. Its ancillary systems included a control and data collection system, a video control and communications system, a gas analysis system, an air-conditioning and ventilation system, a sewage system and water supply, and a fire-suppression system.Storage module
The cylindrical 3.9 metre storage module was divided into four compartments:- A refrigerated compartment for food storage
- A compartment for storage of non-perishable food
- An experimental greenhouse
- A compartment containing a bathroom, sauna, and gym
Advertised volunteer requirements
The MARS-500 project posted a number of basic requirements for any potential candidates. These are listed below.- Age: 25–50 years old
- Higher education
- Professional requirements:
- general practitioner having skills of first medical aid
- physician-investigator having skills of clinical laboratory diagnostics
- biologist
- engineer – specialist in life support systems
- engineer – specialist in computer science
- engineer – specialist in electronics
- engineer – mechanic
- Language skills: knowledge of the Russian and English languages at a professional level
Crew of the first stage
The crew of the first 15-day stage of the isolation experiment was composed of six Russians: five men and a woman. This stage of the experiment was conducted in November 2007.- Anton Artamonov (born 1982), engineer, physicist and programmer
- Oleg Artemyev (born 1970), engineer and cosmonaut
- Alexander Kovalev (born 1982), engineer employed by IBMP's telemedicineTelemedicineTelemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
laboratory - Dmitry Perfilov (born 1975), anesthesiologist employed by IBMP's telemedicine laboratory
- Sergei Ryazan (born 1974), crew commander, physiologist and cosmonaut
- Marina Tugusheva (born 1983), biologist, IBMP researcher
Marina Tugusheva, the only woman of the crew, was excluded from the longer missions, to prevent sexual tension from jeopardising the mission.
Crew of the second stage
The 105-day second stage involved a crew of six members, and ended on 14 July 2009.- Oleg Artemyev, Russian cosmonaut
- Alexei Baranov, Russian medical doctor
- Cyrille Fournier, French airline pilot
- Oliver Knickel, mechanical engineer in the German ArmyGerman ArmyThe German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
- Sergei Ryazansky (commander), Russian cosmonaut
- Alexei Shpakov, Russian sports physiologist
Crew of the third stage
More than 6,000 people from 40 countries applied for the 520-day third stage of the experiment. The selected volunteers were three Russians, two Europeans and one Chinese. They had a varying command of English, but not all spoke Russian.- Romain Charles, 31-year-old French engineer.
- Sukhrob Rustamovich Kamolov (Сухроб Рустамович Камолов), Russian surgeon
- Alexey Sergeyevich Sitev (Алексей Сергеевич Ситёв), Russian engineer and commander of the mission
- Alexandr Egorovich Smoleevskiy (Александр Егорович Смолеевский), Russian physiologist
- Diego Urbina, 27-year-old Italian-ColombianColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
engineer - Wang Yue , 27-year-old Chinese instructor at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center
The other member of the crew, a replacement, was Mikhail Sinelnikov (Михаил Олегович Синельников), a 37-year-old Russian engineer. The mission started on 3 June 2010 and concluded on 4 November 2011, whereupon the participants entered a four-day quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
before leaving the facility.
See also
- Manned mission to MarsManned mission to MarsA manned mission to Mars has been the subject of science fiction, engineering, and scientific proposals throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century...
- Colonization of MarsColonization of MarsThe colonization of Mars by humans is the focus of speculation and serious study because the surface conditions and availability of water on Mars make it arguably the most hospitable planet in the solar system other than Earth...
- Mars SocietyMars SocietyThe Mars Society is an international space advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. It was founded by Robert Zubrin and others in 1998 and attracted the support of notable science fiction writers and filmmakers, including Kim...
- Mars to StayMars to StayMars to Stay missions propose astronauts sent to Mars for the first time should stay there indefinitely, both to reduce cost and to ensure permanent settlement of Mars. Among many notable Mars to Stay advocates, former Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin has been particularly outspoken, suggesting in...
External links
- Information at the official site IMBP in Russian (up-to-date, more extensive), and in English
- Information at the official ESA site
- Information on Czech scientific participation in the MARS-500 project
- Official project blog
- News report on the end of project with quality photos
- Official illustrated report on the end of the 520-day isolation
News articles on the project
- Inside the Mars-500 "spaceship", BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 3 March 2008 - Russia continues flight simulation experiments for Mars-500, RIA Novosti, 15 April 2008
- Volunteers flock to space experiment , BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 27 March 2009 - "Cosmonauts" ready for Mars test, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 22 March 2010