William Atkins
Thursday, 02 April 2009 19:23
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
The time delay between communications on Earth and those space travelers in the capsule will continue to get longer and longer as they get closer to Mars. Eventually, it will reach about twenty minutes of delay becauses communications signals, even though they are traveling near the speed of light, still have to travel the approximate distance between the Earth and Mars--an average distance of 36 million miles (58 million kilometers).
The ground controllers guiding the mission will also simulate emergencies that may arise while on their journey. The crew will have to contend with these emergencies based on their training and the materials onboard the simulated spacecraft.
Once the crew simulates their arrival to Mars, the descent capsule will appear to take them down to the planet. Then, they will blast off of the planet and return back to space for their long journey back home to planet Earth.
During their mission they will be evaluated for physical (physiological) and mental (psychological) conditions and problems such as stress, sleep, mood, and body.
It is reported by BBC News that each will earn US$20,000 (14,000 English pounds) if they make it the entire 105 days. On the other hand, if they want to cut short the mission, they will be allowed to open the hatch early. [BBC News: “
Mars 'journey' experiment begins”]
The commander of the mission, Russian cosmonaut
Sergei Ryazansky, stated,
"The experiment won't be fun but it is an honour.” [BBC]
Page three concludes.
