FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

Mars-Bound Astronauts in Isolation for 520 Days Hanging Out Like College Bros: Slideshow

In case you don't know, Mars 500 is a project that simulates the isolation of a trip to Mars for a crew of six men. They will be locked in a mock spaceship somewhere in Russia for 520 days.
Via the program’s official website.

The Mars 500 psychological experiment in isolation has passed its two month mark, and so far it seems reminiscent of you in college. The Mars explorers in training seem to be spending a lot of time eating, playing video games, actin' a fool, and not leaving the house, as the pictures above and this video demonstrate:

In case you don't know, Mars 500 is a project that simulates the isolation of a trip to Mars for a crew of six men. They will be locked in a mock spaceship somewhere in Russia for 520 days. They are totally segregated from the rest of the world, cannot leave, and are subject to aspects of spaceflight such as 30 minute communication delays, temporary simulated downtime in communication and other stressful scenarios, and more. The international crew has been communicating mostly in English or Russian.

Apparently, the conditions aboard the "spacecraft" are really comfortable. The head of the psychologist's group that is monitoring the crew quipped to the Voice of Russia that he believes that "many Muscovites would have preferred to join the experiment in these days since the temperature inside the spacecraft is stable and comfortable, and moreover, there is no smog." Yup, apparently living isolated in a room with five other dudes in a 520 day sausage party is still better than living in Russia.

This is the third and most intense stage in the isolation experiments. It seems to be going swimmingly – the crew is actively communicating, and is less isolated than groups from previous experiments. The most emotional member at the moment is Diego Urbina from Italy, and the most self-restrained member is Wang Yue from China – though this may be due to the fact that he has to use English and Russian, which both are not his mother tongue.

More information on the Mars 500 project is available from the Russians and from the European Space Agency. You can also read more Motherboard coverage about the project here, here, and here.