Eleven volunteers from Russia, Europe and China have been selected to prepare for a simulation flight to Mars. Six of them will be chosen and isolated for 520 days to test how the human mind can cope with such stress.

“Over the upcoming months the candidates will undergo standard training for cosmonauts, familiarize themselves with specifications of the spaceship model, and taste foodstuffs which will be used during the 520 days of the ‘flight’ to Mars,” Mark Belakovsky, deputy director of the Mars-500 project, told journalists.

All candidates have high technical education and vary in age from 27 to 44 years. In April, six lucky ones will go into seclusion in a model spaceship located in the Institute of Medical and Biological Studies in Russia. Three spots have been allocated Russians, two for Europeans, and the last one has been reserved for the only Chinese candidate Wang Yue, unless he is deemed not fit.

During the almost two-year experiment, the crew will be exposed to as many perils of an interplanetary flight as possible, with the exception of zero gravity and space radiation. Organizers will also simulate several emergencies, which the “cosmonauts” will have to deal with on their own. These will help determine how well people can cope with isolation, a monotonous lifestyle, lack of ordinary food, the unavailability of any supplies from Earth and other stress factors, for such a long time.

All the time the crew is observed by a psychologist assessing how they interact with each other and help each other out in extreme situations.

“The objective is to create a cohesive team and to teach them how to cooperate in solving tasks under extreme conditions,” Alla Vinokhodova, the psychologist of the project, told RT.

Although the training for the Mars-500 to some extent resembles that of ISS, the conditions are a lot harsher.

“Orbital flights are easier than interplanetary flights. Interplanetary missions are about higher autonomy. Orbital crew can always obtain additional food and other resources from the Earth, even additional people, whereas in interplanetary flight this is impossible,” Alla Vinokhodova explained. “Then, the duration of orbital flights is about half a year, which is less time than a mission to Mars.”

Watch the full interview with Alla Vinokhodova

There is also a large technical and scientific program for Mars-500, with more than 90 experiments scheduled. The spacecraft model has also been enlarged compared to the scaled-down, 105-day-long version of the Mars “voyage” which took place at the institute last year. A simulation landing module has been added to it.

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