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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Arbeille P, Provost R, Vincent N, Aubert A (2014) Adaptation of the main peripheral artery and vein to long term confinement (Mars 500). PLoS One 9(1):e83063
Basner M, Dinges D, Mollicone D, Savelev I, Ecker A, Di Antonio A, Jones C, Hyder E, Kan K, Morukov B, Sutton J (2014) Psychological and behavioral changes during confinement in a 520-day simulated interplanetary mission to Mars. PLoS One 9(3):e93298
Belavý DL, Gast U, Daumer M, Fomina E, Rawer R, Schießl H, Schneider S, Schubert H, Soaz C, Felsenberg D (2013) Progressive adaptation in physical activity and neuromuscular performance during 520d confinement. PLoS One 8(3):e60090
Birukov A, Rakova N, Lerchl K, Engberink RH, Johannes B, Wabel P, Moissl U, Rauh M, Luft FC, Titze J (2016) Ultra-long-term human salt balance studies reveal interrelations between sodium, potassium, and chloride intake and excretion. Am J Clin Nutr 104(1):49–57
Bråbäck L, Vogt H, Hjern A (2011) Migration and asthma medication in international adoptees and immigrant families in Sweden. Clin Exp Allergy 41(8):1108–1115
Cabieses B, Uphoff E, Pinart M, Antó J, Wright J (2014) A systematic review on the development of asthma and allergic diseases in relation to international immigration: the leading role of the environment confirmed. PLoS One 9(8):e105347
Choukèr A, Smith L, Christ F, Larina I, Nichiporuk I, Baranov V, Bobrovnik E, Pastushkova L, Messmer K, Peter K, Thiel M (2002) Effects of confinement (110 and 240 days) on neuroendocrine stress response and changes of immune cells in men. J Appl Physiol 92(4):1619–1627
Crucian B, Babiak-Vazquez A, Johnston S, Pierson D, Ott C, Sams C (2016) Incidence of clinical symptoms during long-duration orbital spaceflight. Int J Gen Med 9:383–391
Crucian B, Choukèr A, Simpson R, Mehta S, Marshall G, Smith S, Zwart S, Heer M, Ponomarev S, Whitmire A, Frippiat J, Douglas G, Lorenzi H, Buchheim J, Makedonas G, Ginsburg G, Ott C, Pierson D, Krieger S, Baecker N, Sams C (2018) Immune system dysregulation during spaceflight: potential countermeasures for deep space exploration missions. Front Immunol 9:1437
Demin A, Dyachenko A, Ivanov A, Orlov O, Suvorov A (2013) Instrumental monitoring of the autonomous nervous system in the Mars-520 experiment. Biomed Eng 47(2):86–90
Gaffney C, Fomina E, Babich D, Kitov V, Uskov K, Green D (2017) The effect of long-term confinement and the efficacy of exercise countermeasures on muscle strength during a simulated mission to Mars: data from the Mars500 study. Sports Med Open 3(1):40
Gemignani A, Piarulli A, Menicucci D, Laurino M, Rota G, Mastorci F, Gushin V, Shevchenko O, Garbella E, Pingitore A, Sebastiani L, Bergamasco M, L’Abbate A, Allegrini P, Bedini R (2014) How stressful are 105days of isolation? Sleep EEG patterns and tonic cortisol in healthy volunteers simulating manned flight to Mars. Int J Psychophysiol 93(2):211–219
Gold D, Acevedo-Garcia D (2005) Immigration to the United States and acculturation as risk factors for asthma and allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 116(1):38–41
Johannes B, Sitev A, Vinokhodova A, Salnitski V, Savchenko E, Artyukhova A, Bubeev Y, Morukov B, Tafforin C, Basner M, Dinges D, Rittweger J (2015) Wireless monitoring of changes in crew relations during long-duration mission simulation. PLoS One 10(8):e0134814
Kanas N, Manzey D (2008) Space psychology and psychiatry, 2nd edn. Springer Science + Business Media; Microcosm Press, New York, NY; El Segundo, CA
Lerchl K, Rakova N, Dahlmann A, Rauh M, Goller U, Basner M, Dinges DF, Beck L, Agureev A, Larina I, Baranov V, Morukov B, Eckardt KU, Vassilieva G, Wabel P, Vienken J, Kirsch K, Johannes B, Krannich A, Luft FC, Titze J (2015) Agreement between 24-hour salt ingestion and sodium excretion in a controlled environment. Hypertension 66(4):850–857
Meigal A, Fomina E (2016) Electromyographic evaluation of countermeasures during the terrestrial simulation of interplanetary spaceflight in Mars500 project. Pathophysiology 23(1):11–18
Rakova N, Jüttner K, Dahlmann A, Schröder A, Linz P, Kopp C, Rauh M, Goller U, Beck L, Agureev A, Vassilieva G, Lenkova L, Johannes B, Wabel P, Moissl U, Vienken J, Gerzer R, Eckardt K, Müller D, Kirsch K, Morukov B, Luft F, Titze J (2013) Long-term space flight simulation reveals infradian rhythmicity in human Na+ balance. Cell Metab 17(1):125–131
Roda A, Mirasoli M, Guardigli M, Simoni P, Festi D, Afonin B, Vasilyeva G (2013) Non-invasive panel tests for gastrointestinal motility monitoring within the MARS-500 Project. World J Gastroenterol 19(14):2208
Schneider S, Brümmer V, Carnahan H, Kleinert J, Piacentini MF, Meeusen R, Strüder HK (2010) Exercise as a countermeasure to psycho-physiological deconditioning during long-term confinement. Behav Brain Res 211(2):208–214
Schneider S, Abeln V, Popova J, Fomina E, Jacubowski A, Meeusen R, Strüder H (2013) The influence of exercise on prefrontal cortex activity and cognitive performance during a simulated space flight to Mars (MARS500). Behav Brain Res 236:1–7
Strollo F, Vassilieva G, Ruscica M, Masini M, Santucci D, Borgia L, Magni P, Celotti F, Nikiporuc I (2014) Changes in stress hormones and metabolism during a 105-day simulated Mars mission. Aviat Space Environ Med 85(8):793–797
Strollo F, Macchi C, Eberini I, Masini M, Botta M, Vassilieva G, Nichiporuk I, Monici M, Santucci D, Celotti F, Magni P, Ruscica M (2018) Body composition and metabolic changes during a 520-day mission simulation to Mars. J Endocrinol Invest 41(11):1267–1273
Turroni S, Rampelli S, Biagi E, Consolandi C, Severgnini M, Peano C, Quercia S, Soverini M, Carbonero F, Bianconi G, Rettberg P, Canganella F, Brigidi P, Candela M (2017) Temporal dynamics of the gut microbiota in people sharing a confined environment, a 520-day ground-based space simulation, MARS500. Microbiome 5(1):39
Ushakov I, Vladimirovich M, Bubeev Y, Gushin V, Vasil’eva G, Vinokhodova A, Shved D (2014) Main findings of psychophysiological studies in the Mars 500 experiment. Herald Russ Acad Sci 84(2):106–114
Vigo D, Tuerlinckx F, Ogrinz B, Wan L, Simonelli G, Bersenev E, Van den Bergh O, Aubert A (2013) Circadian rhythm of autonomic cardiovascular control during Mars500 simulated mission to Mars. Aviat Space Environ Med 84(10):1023–1028
Wang Y, Jing X, Lv K, Wu B, Bai Y, Luo Y, Chen S, Li Y (2014) During the long way to Mars: effects of 520 days of confinement (Mars500) on the assessment of affective stimuli and stage alteration in mood and plasma hormone levels. PLoS One 9(4):e87087
Yi B, Matzel S, Feuerecker M, Hörl M, Ladinig C, Abeln V, Choukèr A, Schneider S (2015a) The impact of chronic stress burden of 520-d isolation and confinement on the physiological response to subsequent acute stress challenge. Behav Brain Res 281:111–115
Yi B, Rykova M, Jäger G, Feuerecker M, Hörl M, Matzel S, Ponomarev S, Vassilieva G, Nichiporuk I, Choukèr A (2015b) Influences of large sets of environmental exposures on immune responses in healthy adult men. Sci Rep 5(1):13367
Yi B, Titze J, Choukèr A (2015c) Dietary sodium intake and risk of cardiovascular disease. JAMA Intern Med 175(9):1578
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ngo-Anh, T.J., Rossiter, A., Suvorov, A., Vassilieva, G., Gushin, V. (2020). Mars500: The First Preparation of Long-Duration Space Exploration Missions—Results and Implications for a Holistic Stress and Immune Research Approach. In: Choukèr, A. (eds) Stress Challenges and Immunity in Space. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16996-1_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16996-1_37
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16995-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-16996-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)