Volunteers sought for Mars test:

[Praxius]

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Volunteers sought for Mars test

The European Space Agency (Esa) is seeking volunteers for a simulated human trip to Mars, in which six crew spend 17 months in an isolation tank. They will live and work in a series of interlocked modules at a research institute in Moscow. Once the hatches are closed, the crew's only contact with the outside world is a radio link to "Earth" with a realistic delay of 40 minutes. It sounds like Big Brother, but there are no plans to televise the test. The modular "spacecraft" measures some 550 cubic metres (19,250 cubic feet), the equivalent of nine truck containers. It is based at the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems in the Russian capital. The goal is to gain insight into human behaviour and group dynamics under the kinds of conditions astronauts would experience on a journey to Mars. Big commitment With the exception of weightlessness and radiation, the crew will experience most other aspects of long-haul space travel, such as cramped conditions, a high workload, lack of privacy, and limited supplies. The volunteers will be put through a number of scenarios, such as a simulated launch, outward journey of up to 250 days, an excursion on the Martian surface, followed by the return home. The 500-day duration is close to the minimum estimated timescale needed for a human trip to the Red Planet. The Earthbound astronauts will have to deal with simulated emergencies and perhaps even real ones. But, while Esa says it will do nothing that puts the lives of the simulation crew at unnecessary risk, officials running the experiment have made it clear they would need a convincing reason to let someone out of the modules once the experiment had begun. "The idea behind this experiment is simply to put six people in a very close environment and see how they behave," Bruno Gardini, project manager for Esa's Aurora space exploration programme, told BBC News. Team ethic In all, 12 European volunteers will be needed. They must be aged 25-50, be in good health, have "high motivation" and stand up to 185cm tall. Smokers, or those with other addictions, to alcohol or illicit drugs, for example, will be rejected. Esa is also looking for a working knowledge of both English and Russian. "We will do pre-selection, medical tests, psychological tests, etc. But at the end, you really have to see how they react in as close to a real situation as possible on Earth," explained Mr Gardini. He added that the results would help define the selection criteria for a future Mars mission. "This is the beginning; it will be a long time before we go to Mars," the Esa official said. "But this is a field which is difficult to quantify. It's human behaviour, so there's no method. The Russians have done lots of study in the past and we will be sharing some data. "We have to look at the mix of people; at the end of the day, we want a team." Robots first Marc Heppener, of Esa's Science and Application Division, said the crewmembers would get paid 120 euros (158 dollars) a day. Viktor Baranov, of Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems, said his organisation had received about 150 applications, only 19 of which had come from women. A precursor 105-day study is scheduled to start by mid-2008, possibly followed by another 105-day study, before the full 520-day project begins in late 2008 or early 2009. European scientists have been asked to submit proposals for experiments in the areas of psychology, medicine, physiology and mission operations. Mounting a mission to Mars would face many other hurdles, not least of which would be shielding the crew against the potentially deadly dose of radiation they would receive on the journey. Esa's Aurora programme has already begun preparations to land a rover - called ExoMars - on the Red Planet. It has the stated aim, however, of trying to get European astronauts to Mars at some time in the future.

So who's up for it?

[DEEJ85]

At 158 dollars a day?

If I was homeless, this would be a great idea. I could get paid and have a roof over my head for free for over a year. Then after I could set myself up with over a year of savings.

Claustrophobic anyone?

[Jubloz]

They must be aged 25-50, be in good health, have "high motivation" and stand up to 185cm tall.

That's very unusual, I wonder why they have to be this tall? I seem to remember reading that NASA actually prefers shorter people because they take less accommodation aboard a ship (this is definitely true of pilots). Seems like an odd requirement.

[crazydiamond]

viva las biodome

[Anmon]

maybe for a thousand a day, but I would want a lot of good books in there as well, and some nice females of course.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: Jubloz That's very unusual, I wonder why they have to be this tall? I seem to remember reading that NASA actually prefers shorter people because they take less accommodation aboard a ship (this is definitely true of pilots). Seems like an odd requirement.

That is weird, and cuts your volunteer base down. Maybe they want to test it under the most space taking up conditions, or maybe a tall person runs it.

[Anmon]

In soviet russia you don't go to party, party come to you

[ShadowFox]

I wish i could do it I love astronomy. Though I doubt they'll let a 15 year old do it. :( Time to forge some fake documents on my age and identity!

Interesting experiment though.

[another day]

You'd basically be volunteering to be a mental patient because 17 months in an isolation tank would drive you literally insane. So would living on mars for that long. It may be practically feasible, but the human psyche is delicate and we require the sustenance of the earth both in body and spirit.

why aren't they using their own astronauts or whatever?

[another day]

Quote by: Jubloz That's very unusual, I wonder why they have to be this tall? I seem to remember reading that NASA actually prefers shorter people because they take less accommodation aboard a ship (this is definitely true of pilots). Seems like an odd requirement.

stand UP to. Which means they must be no taller then that.

[Anmon]

Quote by: another day why aren't they using their own astronauts or whatever?

probably because the average Russian is half drunk on vodka most of the time.

[ShadowFox]

Really? and you have come to this conclusion how?

[Chaossaber314]

$158 a day for roughly 5-510 days? $79,000. I'd do it for that much.

That's roughly $57,670 a year. More than I'll be making with my Masters.

[Anmon]

Quote by: Halofan48 Really? and you have come to this conclusion how?

reputation.

[ShadowFox]

America also seems to have a reputation as gun toting rednecks. But we aren't all like that now are we? Arabs now seem to have a reputation of terrorism, but not all of them are terrorists now are they?

Yet this is getting off topic.

[Anmon]

Russia Drink and Drugs

[another day]

You know, the English, the Irish, Americans, Canadians, Germans, French, the native americans ...basically every nationality has some form of reputation for drinking alot. Notice how you said "half drunk on vodka", whereas if you were lampooning the similar reputation of the irish you might have said whiskey, for france you would have said wine, for english you might have said lager beer etc... All cultures have a problem with drinking it's a widespread thing in humanity and most definitly not limited to russians anymore then others. One thing is for sure is that it's more prevalent in poverty stricken cultures which russia is one.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: another day stand UP to. Which means they must be no taller then that.

OH, thanks for actually reading, I took his word for it, at any rate, I'm out now. I'm taller than that by at least two inches, maybe a little more than three, I forget the exact conversion. dammit, pretty much first time being tall is bad.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: another day You'd basically be volunteering to be a mental patient because 17 months in an isolation tank would drive you literally insane. So would living on mars for that long. It may be practically feasible, but the human psyche is delicate and we require the sustenance of the earth both in body and spirit. why aren't they using their own astronauts or whatever?

I'd imagine astronauts training and expertise makes them too valuable to waste for 17 months sitting in loony bin.

Do americans really have a reputation for being drunk? I guess I could see that, but the french? I've heard the french called a lot of theings, but not drunks.

[Anmon]

Quote by: another day You know, the English, the Irish, Americans, Canadians, Germans, French, the native americans ...basically every nationality has some form of reputation for drinking alot. Notice how you said "half drunk on vodka", whereas if you were lampooning the similar reputation of the irish you might have said whiskey, for france you would have said wine, for english you might have said lager beer etc... All cultures have a problem with drinking it's a widespread thing in humanity and most definitly not limited to russians anymore then others. One thing is for sure is that it's more prevalent in poverty stricken cultures which russia is one.

I know but the Russians are worse, much worse, they literally drink from sun up to midnight, and they still go to work, if anyone else did it they would be in hospital.