I tried to find my original post on the announcement and call for participants, but only found this piece from 2007 on finding new planets way out there. And the reason was that I only posted about it in Norwegian. Back on November 1st 2009 actually. Here is a quick blurb, translated and edited;
Have you planned your vacation next year and the year after? If you really need a break ESA might be looking for you, as they are planning a full simulation of a round trip to Mars.
And quotes from the full ESA Call for Candidates, deadline on November 5th 2009;
"The crew will follow a programme designed to simulate a 250-day journey to Mars, a 30-day surface exploration phase and 240 days travelling back to Earth. The isolation facility at IBMP in Moscow, Russia"
"... aged 20–50, motivated, in good health and no taller than 185 cm… Selection will be based on education, professional experience, medical fitness and social habits."
The concept is incredible in many ways.
First off, the fact that we are actively planning and working on ways to explore Mars is beyond cool. And by we I refer to humanity in its broadest sense. Taking the long term view, we need to be able to get off Earth at some point. Either due to our own actions or inactions - or because the Sun makes things to hot for comfort.
Secondly, actually locking someone up for more than 500 days? For science? That needs a pretty "big hairy goal" to justify. And the billions an actual trip wold probably cost, combined with the end goals do certainly fit that category.
But how to you go from thinking and acting like you are locked in a box, to acting like you are actually the first humans bound for, and landing on, Mars?
Sure, Big Brother and the rest of reality TV has shown that a lot of people are completely able to forget where they are. But then you have the actual prize in the end to vye for. And on a real trip, that prize would be truly spectacular. As for sitting in a box? Not going to get you all that much attention when you get out.
Still, I would have signed up for the real thing. Strings be damned - to boldly go and so forth.
