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Applications are now being taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) for volunteers interested in making a simulated trip to Mars. The experiment is being conducted by the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems and is planned for the duration of 520 days. Mars500 will replicate the anticipated conditions encountered on a spaceflight to the red planet, including watching the Earth disappear in the distance, and experiencing the 40 minutes required for transmission of signals between the Earth and the spacecraft. The food to be served will be the same as that provided to the astronauts on the International Space Station, also including the simulated exploration of the Martian surface.

The entire experiment will be conducted in Moscow in four interconnected modules with a total area of 2,150 square feet, about as much area as a two-story house. Each member of the crew is allowed 32 square feet of personal space, while the living room, kitchen and toilet are shared. No shower is available, but, since the simulation is taking place in Russia and saunas are a Russian specialty, a sauna will be included.

Two shorter experiments of 105 days are planned for mid-2008 leading up to the longer experiment in late 2008 or early 2009. Volunteers for the shorter simulations are also being sought. Each mission will need four volunteers who will be asked such questions as how fluent they are in Russian, how much they drink, as well as about their personality traits. While the selection requirements for being a volunteer on the simulation are similar to those for selecting European Space Agency astronauts, there will be more emphasis on psychological strengths and resistance to stress rather than on physical fitness. Volunteers to be selected for the mission must be resistant to the depression that can result from being confined in isolation, be compatible with the other volunteers, and be unlikely to dominate the other members of the crew. After the experiment has ended, volunteers will continue to be examined for another year to observe any long-term effects of the mission.

Despite the isolation, confinement, and other hardships, there is no lack of people applying for the volunteer positions. Many people interested in the space program, who would not be able to qualify for an astronaut’s job, can be an important part of the exploration of outer space by volunteering in such projects as the simulated Mars mission. Traveling the solar system without leaving the Earth! What a trip!

Nancy Houser, author of "A Mars Odyssey," is a freelance writer and illustrator of 30 years. Living in Central Nebraska running a dog rescue with her partner, Sandra Marquiss, she fills her leisurely time with 13 grandchildren and watching the skies.

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