By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Six people, who will take part in a 105-day experiment to simulate a flight to Mars, have been selected by scientists at the Moscow-based Russian Institute of Medical and Biological Problems.
Four Russians – astronauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergei Ryazansky, Alexei Baranov, a doctor, and sports physiologist Alexei Shpakov – and two members of the European Space Agency, France’s Cyrille Fournier, a civilian pilot, and Germany’s Oliver Knickel, a mechanical engineer, will take part in the experiment.
Initially, six Russians and four Europeans wanted to participate in the institute’s project.
All participants will receive 15,500 euros ($20,000) each, Institute spokesman Mark Belakovsky said.
Institute Director Igor Ushakov said the 105-day trial is a continuation of the 14-day experiment of November 2007 and precedes the main event, a 520-day simulation flight due to start in late 2009.
The 520-day experiment will simulate all aspects of the journey including the 250-day one-way trip to the Red Planet, a 30-day stay on its surface, and the 240-day return flight.
During nearly two years of isolation, crew members will experience many of the conditions likely to be encountered by astronauts on a real space flight.
They will stick to a rigid daily regime of work, rest and exercise, and follow the diet of crews aboard the International Space Station (ISS).