Russian call for Mars volunteers

Russian scientists are selecting volunteers to be locked in a capsule for 500 days to test plans for a trip to Mars.
The mock mission is designed to simulate the tough conditions of a space trip to the Red Planet.

A team of six men will be physically cut off from the outside world to test equipment intended to make them self-sufficient for long periods.

Their capsule will consist of a bedroom, a kitchen and a laboratory.



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Anyone who thinks the space race is over needs to think again.
Perhaps a UN misson to mars would be a good way of putting the worlds space faring resouces together.
No UN bashing please.

That's intriguing.

I'd heard that it was fairly well known that a mixed gender crew would do a lot better on a long mission than a single sex crew. One review I saw said that men might particularly get aggressive with each other.

I know it can be a problem on long missions for submarines.

Very interesting. I wonder if Russia will actually beat the US to Mars. Then again both nations are so good at keeping secrets for all we know both nations have landed on Mars and are simply waiting for the right time to announce it. So we have no way of knowing who is actually ahead.

Anyhow not to bash the UN, but I see a UN space mission as being unlikely. Personally I don't fancy the thought of being locked in a capsule, speaking only English but having my life depend on a guy who speaks Japanese or something. Not to mention the incompatibility of Russian and American technolgy. So it would probably be more realistic to assume were all going to compete until somebody suffers from a catastrophic budget problem (coming soon to the US).

i'd love to be om that mission..if I was the only man..and the rest..half a dozen women!!

I'll volunteer.....

I've just been rolling over the floor laughing at your brilliant avatar. you got my last vote for way above for this month. cheers steve

reply to post by Byrd

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Heck yeah it can be a 'problem'! Unless I have some female 'companionship', I'm not getting boxed up anywhere for 500 days - certainly not with a bunch of dudes.

An alternative I WOULD consider is a solo trip to Mars. But then, I'd want to take plenty of entertainment and some Southern Comfort along for the long boring ride there and back.

Um - we are coming back, eh?

As for the 'experiment in a box': OK - but no other dudes, $250K/yr (no taxes), and I can 'furnish' my digs however I want.