500-Day Mock Mars Flight Reveals Big Sleep Issues for Astronauts

A mock Mars mission that locked six volunteers inside a simulated spaceship for more than 500 days seriously disrupted the crew's sleep patterns and waking behavior. The disruptions could have led to atrophy of muscle and bone had the crew been on an actual spacecraft, scientists say.

These new findings, based on a study of an unprecedented 520-day Mars simulation, could help reveal ways to keep astronauts healthy and working in sync on any future deep-space missions, researchers added.

The Mars500 mission locked six multi-national volunteers on a mock spaceship bound for Mars in Moscow. The $15-million experiment mimicked a mission to Mars to help researchers better understand and per…
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