Where do you think this is?
Can you guess?
It's the surface of Mars...in Moscow!
The Mars500 mission has landed. Mars500 was set up
to investigate what it would be like for people to travel to Mars.
How will the human mind and body cope on a long spaceflight?
We don't have the expertise to fly to Mars yet, so the European Space Agency (ESA)
created the next best thing - they sealed six astronauts in a
capsule for 520 days.
Mars500 crew (c) ESA
ESA wanted to make the mission as realistic as possible. The
astronauts have only been able to contact the outside world since
'take off' by emails delayed by twenty minutes - this mimics the
real delay that astronauts would experience - or through mission
control. Even their food and water has been carefully managed -
there are no food deliveries in space! The astronauts spend most of
their time completing experiments, which test their mental and
physical states.
Watch astronaut Diego Urbina take you on a tour across around
the tiny Mars500 capsule:
On 14 Feb 2011 the mission finally
'landed' on Mars. Three of the astronauts moved to a tiny capsule
that 'separated' from the mothership and then touched down on the
'surface of Mars'.
Two of the astronauts have walked on
the surface of Mars - actually a 10 metre by 6 metre area set up to
resemble Mars. They conducted scientific experiments with the help
of a robot. When the astronauts rejoin the main capsule they will
undergo three days quarantine before they rejoin their colleagues
and journey back to Earth. This journey will take another eight
months!
Mars500 astronauts on the
'surface of Mars' Image (c) ESA / IPMB
A real mission to Mars is still many years away and it's a huge
challenge. How would the astronauts cope on such a long journey?
How will scientists protect the astronauts from the increased
radiation that they will encounter out there?
The six astronauts who are involved in the Mars500 programme are
very impressive. Could you cope with 520 days in a sealed
capsule?
Main image: ESA /
IPMB