From The Times -

July 03, 2005

Russia plans first men on Mars
Mark Franchetti, Moscow



RUSSIA’S space agency is looking for six volunteers to spend 15 months locked in a mock space capsule as part of its plan to put a man on Mars.

The Soviet Union sent the first man into space but was beaten to the moon — and now Russia is planning a manned mission to the red planet as early as 2015 — 15 years before an expected American attempt.



The agency needs to test the physical and psychological effects of long confinement on its cosmonauts. It has already received more than 40 applications from around the world. Selection will begin in the autumn.

Early next year the crew will be subjected to rigorous tests and training before they enter a hermetically sealed mock space craft for up to 458 days — the estimated time of the return flight.

“It’s a unique experiment,” said Mark Belakovsky of the Centre for Medical and Biological Problems, which will take part in the project. “No one can really be completely sure of what to expect on such a long mission.”

The volunteers, who will be subjected to both weightlessness and the reduced gravity of Mars, will be under constant observation. Their capsule will have a gym, a television and a small laboratory where they will grow salad to supplement their rations.

They will be able to wash only with baby wipes and lotions. Crew members will simulate serious illness to train the others to be self- sufficient. They will also be required to perform mock surgery on each other.

“Living conditions on the way to Mars will be very harsh,” said Belakovsky. “Radiation levels will be high and temperatures will vary in the extreme. In addition there is the danger of intense flashes from the sun which could cause dangerous magnetic problems. It’s a tough journey and we want to simulate what it will be like.”


thetimesonline.co.uk

dreamers,just a bunch of dreamers.they rely on us more than they do their own space program.if there is a country that is gonna get to mars,it will be the us,plain and simple!

Ya and the US are the same place that supositly went to the Moon.

They rely on US? In which way?

^ I think some technology... not completely sure though.

What seems completely stupid to me is that each country has their own space program... SPACE program... non-military and complete science. Think how much we could all achieve if we combined the programs into one.

Granted there are some programs that are military, those should just be kept in that country.

The EU has a combined space program I think....

If they do, I would hope America would join up with it. We would provide a great deal of technology and information to the world.

The Russians are real good at making heavy-lift rockets. We could use their help with that. They ain't gettin' there on their own, though. I'll bet the farm on that. We could get there now. We have the technology, we just don't have the will. We just gave up after the Apollo program.

^Too true, America has always had the knowledge, technology and resources to attempt such a mission but after the apollo missions they just stoppes it is very sad. Although it would amke far more sense for a co-operative mission to Mars so that costs, technology, knowledge and resources could be shared

Hello everyone this is my first reply
About the Russians being first to Mars I don’t see it.
It is true this space station freedom was depending on the Russians for supplies.
But our space program is still superior to Russia’s space program.
Shuttlecraft Discovery is will be back in business soon.

^True but the Discovery Shuttle wont get anyone to Mars, it will take many many years and countless billions before either nation will get anywhere near Mars with Humans, hopefully they will see the advantage in working together and get there a whoel lot sooner than what we all expect!

Well, each country would have a different budget for space programs. There are a lot of joint missions tho.

ie. Cassini-Huygens