MARS 500 is an international research project aimed at interplanetary space flights; within this scheme, the first full simulation of human flight to Mars was launched on 3^rd June, 2010.

The simulation environment of a spaceship flying to Mars will examine the impact of a long-term sojourn on the psyche and health of a small group of people, under extreme conditions.

The Institute of Medical and Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, European Space Agency and other organizations are involved in this project.

A group of 6 “astronauts” will spend in total 520 days in complete isolation in the Moscow premises of NEK as of 3^rdJune, 2010. This final stage of the project was preceded by preparatory experiments, namely by a 14-day isolation (November 2007) and a 105-day isolation (2009).