Mars Researchers Make Earth 'Return'

Six men who simulated a mission to Mars by spending 520 days inside a network of windowless modules have emerged safe and well.The all-male crew of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese man, have lived at the research center in Moscow since June 2010.They emerged in good spirits from the experiment, which was designed to simulate the confinement, stress and fatigue of interplanetary travel. During the mission, the crew communicated with the organizers and their families via the internet, which was delayed, and occasionally disrupted, to imitate the effects of distant space travel. They ate canned food similar to that used on the International Space Station. After the mission a researcher broke the seal and then opened the door of the capsule and the crew walked out one-by-one to cheers from scientists and relatives. "The international crew has completed the 520-day mission," mission commander Alexei Sityov told waiting Russia's space bosses. "The program has been fully carried out. All the crew members are in good health. We are now ready for further tests," he said in formal military style. Italian crew-member Diego Urbina, who clenched his fists with delight as he finally stepped out of the capsule, said it had been an honor to have been involved in the program