Mars500: The first preparation of long-duration space exploration missions- results and implications for a holistic stress and immune research approach

Abstract

ESA’s science program during the Mars500 experiment covered all systems of the human body and demonstrated convincingly that isolation and confinement lead to whole-body effects requiring an all-encompassing holistic view on potential countermeasures. The Mars500 crewmembers acted as subjects in scientific investigations to assess the effect that isolation has on various psychological and physiological aspects, such as stress, hormone regulation and immunity, sleep quality, mood, and the effectiveness of dietary supplements. The Mars500 program, the longest high-fidelity spaceflight simulation ever conducted, represented an invaluable opportunity to investigate the human physiological adaptation to prolonged confinement while monitoring any problems future space explorers might face during their missions. The Mars500 experiment allowed evaluating, for the first time, the impact of long-lasting isolated confinement conditions, with a lack of social interaction, reduced contact with the environment, restricted resources, and mostly tinned food, ready or semi-ready for consumption. Operational validity of the simulation included a spaceship-like habitat, continuous isolation from the Earth’s environment, realistic mission activities, a mid-mission landing on a simulated Mars surface, accurate mission duration and timeline, operations between crew and mission controllers, communication delays inherent to interplanetary travel, limited consumable resources, exercise equipment for physical fitness, a diurnal weekly work schedule, crew control of habitat lighting, and video monitoring of the crew in habitat common areas.