Witness Mars500 crew landing on Red planet on Feb 14
By ANIFriday, January 28, 2011
WASHINGTON - Members of the media have been given permission to witness the Mars500 crew land on the Red planet on February 14.
Mars500 was one of the most gruelling simulation for Mars landing. It consists of six volunteers locked inside for a total of 520 days, the time it would take to fly to Mars and back.
Members of the news media can apply now to observe the action from TsUP on the day.
The media programme will begin at 12:00 Moscow time (10:00 CET), with short presentations from IBMP and ESA’s Directorate of Human Spaceflight. ESA speakers will include Martin Zell, Head of ISS Utilisation Department for the Directorate, Mars500 Project Manager Jennifer Ngo-Ahn, and veteran astronaut Christer Fuglesang, Head of the Directorate’s Science and Application Division.
The first footsteps are scheduled to take place around 13:00 Moscow time (11:00 CET).
Preparations for this event will begin on 1 February, when the Mars500 ’spacecraft’ docks with a Mars lander already in orbit. Half the crew will then transfer to the lander -Russian commander Alexey Sitev, Europe’s Diego Urbina and China’s Wang Yue- to prepare for Mars landing on 12 February. (ANI)
