An Italian-Colombian man is part of a group of five men that will spend the next 500 days locked in a chamber with only Internet access linking them to the outside world, to simulate a mission to Mars, reports El Tiempo.
Diego Urbina, who is allowed just 20 kgs of baggage for his 18-month isolation stint, said that he will miss having a beer or a pizza with friends, and spending Sundays in Bogota’s La Candelaria district.
Ideally, the young Colombian would like to have “Shakira and Angelina Jolie” with him, but will have to make do with five guys from Russia, France and China.
Urbina said that the monotony will be “dangerous and needs to be attacked” by “frequently changing activities,” and that they will not all “be able to browse the Internet as there’s only one connection.”
The aspiring astronaut does not see any squabbles arising over the main source of entertainment, however, as the crew gets on “very well despite the limitations in language and culture.”
“Surviving is a task to do together. We have been through various techniques of psychological training, which we will implement when we are stressed,” Urbina said.
The Mars 500 project, promoted by the European Space Agency and its Russian counterpart, will study the physical and psychological behavior of human beings during the approximately 18 months it would take to reach the fourth planet in the Solar System.