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From March 31 through July 14, four Russians and two European engineers participated in a 150-day simulation chamber study to prepare for a future trip to Mars. The project was funded by the Houston-based National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) and was also a partnership between the Russia’s Institute of Biomedical Problems and the European Space Agency.

The six international scientists conducted many experiments and also acted out realistic mission scenarios, such as emergency situations and 20 minute communications delays.

Dr. David F. Dinges, leader of the NSBRI group funded from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Rutgers, explained the benefits of conducting research with this special chamber:
“These tests and interventions have an impact beyond the space program. Many people work night shifts and in high-stress, confined environments that require alertness, such as power plant control rooms, railroad systems, hospitals, military operations, and fire and rescue situations. The things that we are learning here about how to enhance performance will be useful in many work environments… Additional goals were to see how different mission situations affected the various performance measures and to evaluate whether the interventions could indeed improve performance.”

For the NSBRI project overview, the following areas were addressed for research:
1) Operational Evaluation of a Photic Countermeasure to Improve Alertness, Performance, and Mood During Night-Shift Work
2) Monitoring of Crew Neurobehavioral Functions
3) Crew Interactions and Autonomy During Long-Duration Isolation and Confinement

The isolation facility was impressively built with “several interconnected, modules containing medical and scientific research areas, living quarters, a kitchen, a greenhouse, and an exercise facility.” Although this project was considered a success, it is a precursor a 520-Day research mission NSBRI hopes to schedule in 2010.