Start testing the journey to Mars

Inside the train compartment on Mars is a closed room with no windows.Photo: BBC.

Experiment to find out whether people can travel to Mars and return to Earth or not just opened in Moscow, with the participation of 6 volunteers from Russia, France and Germany.

International volunteers were locked into a space-research vessel, assuming the conditions of a manned flight to Mars lasted for two years. Those who endure more than 100 days of testing with isolated and confined conditions like true astronauts will earn $ 20,000 in bonuses.

If any of these six volunteers is sick, they will be allowed to exit early. Inside this spacecraft model, volunteer astronauts will perform daily scheduled tasks, also facing difficulties and problems communicating with the control station just as conditions the astronauts Family encountered when traveling in space.

Outside the Russian model of the spacecraft experiment.Photo: BBC.

The commander of this Russian model spacecraft, Sergei Ryazansky, affirmed: "The experiment is not a joke but really serious." He added that even if any volunteer could go out early if he could not stand it any more, they would do everything to convince the group to stay there for 105 days.

One of the volunteers, Cyrille Fournier, said before stepping into the spacecraft model: "I feel very determined. We have been working for a long time and in the end we can reach the catch point. head " . Another volunteer, Oliver Knickel, expressed: "The challenge is to live with others for a long time, but it is a positive challenge. We think we will learn a lot from each other . "

This experiment is a joint project between the Institute of Biological Health Problems under the Russian Academy of Sciences and the European Space Agency (ESA). The institute spokesman Pavel Morgunov said: "This is an early stage and a short experiment. While the 520-day main experiment is expected to open in late 2009 or early 2010".