A Simulation of a Martian Mission

This article is interesting, because it shows how serious people are getting about going to Mars. The EAS is going to participate in a 500 day simulation of a Mars mission in Russia. The point of the simulation is to determine what being in a confined space with a group of people for so long is really going to do to people. The article claims, via quotations, that such a study is the only way to really know what things are going to be like. Fortunately, the study is also planning on doing useful work, so we may get some new scientific data as well as some idea of how people will react. What's truly fun about this program is that all of the people participating will be volunteers. So, if you're interested, or have nothing to do if you're graduating, you can try to become a crew member. The article even says they will lower the physical requirements from those usually used for astronauts. You'll actually have better odds of getting on this mission than any other.