By 
November 4th, 2021
Credit: Roscosmos/SIRIUS International Project
A 240-day isolation study is now underway with an international crew simulating voyage to the Moon.
Called the Scientific International Research In Unique terrestrial Station (SIRIUS), 70 experiments will be carried out related to preparation for further space exploration by humans.
SIRIUS is underway at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
Credit: Roscosmos/SIRIUS International Project
Credit: Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Mixed gender, nationalities
Representing a mixed gender and nationality of the crew, the international crew of the SIRIUS-21 mission are: Oleg Blinov (Russia), Victoria Kirichenko (Russia), Ekaterina Karjakina (Russia), William Brown (USA), Ashley Kowalski (USA) and Saleh Omar al Ameri (UAE).
During the experiment simulating a flight to the Moon, it is planned to collect scientific data on a number of problems expeditionary space crews will face, such as:
- sensory deprivation, monotony, limited social contacts, limited living space and managed habitat
- factors of autonomous interplanetary flight, including limiting the resources of the expedition and extravehicular activities on the planet’s surface
- professional activities of the crew (docking of transport ships, landing of the lunar module, control of robotic equipment)
- communication delay up to 5 minutes one way
Earlier stages
The previous two stages of the experiment – SIRIUS-17 and SIRIUS-19 – were carried out in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Credit: IBMP
Credit: IBMP
Beginning in 2017, this Russia/US partnership utilizes the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ ground experimental facility, or NEK, to carry out SIRIUS analog missions.
Credit: IBMP
SIRIUS analog missions assist NASA in gaining knowledge about the physiological and psychological “exploration stresses” of remoteness and confinement in humans – all in preparation for sustained Artemis expeditions to the Moon and on-the-horizon flight of crews to Mars.
Composition of the crew includes crew commander, flight engineer, crew doctor and three researchers. The activities of the crew during the experiment are based on the basic provisions of the Code of Professional Ethics of Cosmonauts of the Russian Federation and the Code of Conduct for the International Space Station crew.
Go to this just-issued video showing the SIRIUS crew prior to starting their isolation study at:
Posted in Space News
