Mars500

After "landing" their simulated craft three days ago after a 520-day mission to Mars, a six-man crew emerged from an isolation module in Moscow on Tuesday.

The men were kept away from the world in an attempt to simulate the psychological effects of a return voyage from Mars - even adhering to a 20-minute radio delay between sending correspondence from their vessel to their mock mission control station.

A Russian official broke the red seal on the space capsule allowing the first weary, pale, crew member to emerge into the real world.

Donning a blue jumpsuit and blinking, Commander Alexei Sityov appeared a little wobbly, but smiling as he addressed a press conference.

"The international crew has completed the 520-day mission," he said, proudly.

Russian space officials have confirmed that all members of the mission are in good health, even if they went through unusual social strain.

"It was really hard because sometimes I didn't even have contact with my family," said Romain Charles, a French member of the team. "I had to learn to rely on myself."

Some turned to ancient practices to help keep their minds focused and stress-free.

"Ancient Chinese practices like calligraphy helped me relax and deal with others," said Wan Yue, the Chinese member of the crew. "In the end, we ended up like family."

Future missions

The results of this study will likely help Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, plan its next step forward into further space missions to the Red Planet.

Russia wants to get to Mars by 2040 although its space program has been beset by difficulties lately, including the grounding of its Soyuz rockets. The rockets are the only means to ferry passengers and cargo to the International Space Station. Officials grounded the rockets a few months ago after one failed to reach orbit, crashing into Siberia.

Adding insult to injury, Russia has yet to enter deep space in more than two decades.

At the Tuesday press conference, Roscosmos officials also announced that the new Phobos-Grunt probe is schedule to launch from Kazakhstan on Wednesday. It is designed to reach Mars to collect soil samples, and then return to Earth in 2014.

18 months of isolation

The six participants, who were each paid about $100,000 for 18 months of their time, were locked in the makeshift capsule, with no windows. Their only contact with the outside world was through e-mail, which took 20 minutes to send or receive - the actual time delay for radio signals between Earth and Mars.

The capsule included medical, living, landing, storage and surface modules with a mere total interior volume of about 550 cubic meters (19,400 cubic feet). All of the capsules, except for one, were used for living and working. The interior was decorated with wood paneling, furniture and rugs in an attempt to make the experience more home-like.

There was even one module that was meant to appear just like the red planet, complete with rocks and sand, which is where the volunteers performed space walks.

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka says the experiment conditions were as close to real as it gets, especially since the volunteers were from several different countries including Russia, China and Columbia.

"The main thing is that the module created a good psychological climate," he said on Russian state television. "The last time I went to space there was a real symbiosis because everyone had their own traditions and customs. But the best thing there is to find something useful that unites people."

Praise from the wider space community

This mission is the longest simulated human space mission ever undertaken, and its results will no doubt be studied for months and years to come if NASA, ESA and other space agencies want to send personnel to Mars and bring them back safely.

Alan Smith, a professor with the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in London said the technology is available to send people on the long trek, but there hasn't been enough research on the interpersonal feasibility of the journey to Mars and back.

"The most focus so far has been the technology that gets you to Mars and lands you on Mars," he said. "And we can't simulate it in one day. So one of the real problems of going to Mars is getting people to get on with each other for that period of time and still be effective."

And it's likely that members of this family will involved in planning of the next generation of future missions to Mars.

Columbian-Italian crew member Diego Urbina, who wants to eventually work in space research, couldn't stop smiling as he addressed the crowd in English.

"It's been an honor to having been part of this remarkable achievement, five of the most professional, friendly and resilient individuals that I have worked with," he said. "I will be forever thankful for all of those who stood close to me during this long odyssey."

Author: Jessica Golloher, Moscow
Editor: Cyrus Farivar