Russia continues to conduct flight simulations to Mars

Four volunteers will stay in a pressure chamber for ten days during which the amount of oxygen will decrease * The experiment is part of Mars-500, a Russian ground study that simulates a flight to Mars

The first test of the Mars-500 project was carried out from November 15 to 29, 2007. Now the researchers want to continue the tests and in the second phase four healthy men will stay in a chamber with a pressure equivalent to five meters under water. In the first six days there will be normal amounts of oxygen in the cell, from the seventh day to the tenth day the amount of oxygen will decrease until it reaches the amount found at an altitude of 3 km.

The experiment was conducted by the Institute of Medicine and other biological subjects in Moscow. According to the institute, the purpose of the experiment is to provide information about possible physiological effects in the flight to Mars and back.

The test is part of a series of tests conducted in preparation for the main experiment that will begin near the end of 2008. The experiment will simulate a full-length flight to Mars and back, a 250-day journey to our red neighbor, a 30-day stay on Mars, and another 260 days of flight back to Earth. Two Europeans and four Russians were chosen for the main experiment.

During a simulation that should last about two years, 520 to 700 days, the team members will experience most of the scenarios encountered by the astronauts who will fly to Mars. They will have a rigid schedule that includes work, rest and training. Moreover, they will have to maintain a diet similar to that maintained by the crews of the International Space Station.

The experiment should provide a lot of raw information that will help plan the real mission to Mars and will be very interesting to follow.