Mars500
105 days in isolation
Sailing now in interplanetary space on their simulated mission towards the ‘Red Planet’, the Mars500 crew has entered in a new phase of their isolation. The previous mission endured 105 days in 2009 and from now on, everything in this experiment is new.
© ESA
|
Article Content
- » 1 - The six crewmembers of Mars500
- » 2 - Day by day
- » 3 - Keep the daily routine!
The six crewmembers of Mars500
The six crewmembers of Mars500, safely locked in their facility in Moscow, have been cruising virtually towards Mars since 14 June, when their mission ‘departed’ from Earth’s orbit. The ‘launch’ occurred on 3 June when the hatch of their spacecraft-analogue facility was closed.
Since then, the crew has followed the timeline of the mission, reproducing as accurately as possible a potential mission to our planetary neighbour, complete with communication delays and daily routine similar to real space missions.
Right now the delay in communication – representing the distance of the craft from Earth – is two minutes in each direction, making direct communication impossible. As the simulation goes on, the delay will increase to 20 minutes.
Next major milestone will be a ‘landing’ on Mars, planned now for 10 February 2011. The entire ‘mission’ will last around 520 days, with the expected ‘splashdown’ back on Earth in early November 2011.
Since then, the crew has followed the timeline of the mission, reproducing as accurately as possible a potential mission to our planetary neighbour, complete with communication delays and daily routine similar to real space missions.
Right now the delay in communication – representing the distance of the craft from Earth – is two minutes in each direction, making direct communication impossible. As the simulation goes on, the delay will increase to 20 minutes.
Next major milestone will be a ‘landing’ on Mars, planned now for 10 February 2011. The entire ‘mission’ will last around 520 days, with the expected ‘splashdown’ back on Earth in early November 2011.
Mars500
105 days in isolation
Sailing now in interplanetary space on their simulated mission towards the ‘Red Planet’, the Mars500 crew has entered in a new phase of their isolation. The previous mission endured 105 days in 2009 and from now on, everything in this experiment is new.
© ESA
|
Article Content
- » 1 - The six crewmembers of Mars500
- » 2 - Day by day
- » 3 - Keep the daily routine!
The six crewmembers of Mars500
The six crewmembers of Mars500, safely locked in their facility in Moscow, have been cruising virtually towards Mars since 14 June, when their mission ‘departed’ from Earth’s orbit. The ‘launch’ occurred on 3 June when the hatch of their spacecraft-analogue facility was closed.
Since then, the crew has followed the timeline of the mission, reproducing as accurately as possible a potential mission to our planetary neighbour, complete with communication delays and daily routine similar to real space missions.
Right now the delay in communication – representing the distance of the craft from Earth – is two minutes in each direction, making direct communication impossible. As the simulation goes on, the delay will increase to 20 minutes.
Next major milestone will be a ‘landing’ on Mars, planned now for 10 February 2011. The entire ‘mission’ will last around 520 days, with the expected ‘splashdown’ back on Earth in early November 2011.
Since then, the crew has followed the timeline of the mission, reproducing as accurately as possible a potential mission to our planetary neighbour, complete with communication delays and daily routine similar to real space missions.
Right now the delay in communication – representing the distance of the craft from Earth – is two minutes in each direction, making direct communication impossible. As the simulation goes on, the delay will increase to 20 minutes.
Next major milestone will be a ‘landing’ on Mars, planned now for 10 February 2011. The entire ‘mission’ will last around 520 days, with the expected ‘splashdown’ back on Earth in early November 2011.