International isolation experiment SIRIUS-21 to simulate the flight and landing on the moon started on Thursday in Moscow, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Six people went on a conditional trip to the moon: Oleg Blinov, an instructor of the Cosmonaut Training Center; Viktoria Kirichenko, a surgeon at the IBMP; Ekaterina Kariakina, ex-flight attendant of the Nordwind airline, and now a junior researcher at the Institute of International Biological Problems; William Brown, a US bachelor of Russian Language and Literature; Ashley Kowalski, a representative of the command US space systems; and UAE test astronaut Saleh Omar Al Ameri.

They will have to live together for 240 days in a simulator of a spacecraft - a ground-based test complex in Moscow. The task of the "crew" is to simulate the flight, landing on the Moon and work on its surface.

The SIRIUS project (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station) is carried out jointly by IBMP and NASA in cooperation with space agencies of Russia, ESA, Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates, space industry enterprises with the participation of experts from Russia, the US, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Canada and other countries.

SIRIUS includes a series of isolation experiments. Experiments have already been carried out with a duration of 17 days in November 2017 and four months in 2018-2019. Until 2028, it is planned to conduct three year-long experiments. The first of them will take place in 2022-2023.

Flight 'Moscow-Moon'
According to data from the project's website, on the first day of the experiment, the "spacecraft" is launched into low-earth orbit. From the second to the fourth day, "docking" with the interplanetary complex is carried out, and the systems are being tested. On the fifth day, an imitation of a flight to the Moon will begin.

On the eighth day, the "spacecraft" will enter a circumlunar orbit, after which, until the 60th day, the crew prepares for a "landing" on the lunar surface, and also controls the lunar rovers from a circumlunar orbit.

During the experiment, three "landings" on the Moon are planned by crews of four. Each stay on the "lunar surface" lasts four days. During the "spacewalks," it is supposed to move along the simulator of the lunar surface in a spacesuit using virtual reality technology. During the "expedition," the researchers will perform soil sampling operations and control the lunar rover model.

From the 237th to the 240th day, the crew "returns to Earth" and lands on the last day of the experiment.

Source: RIA Novosti

Related Links
Institute of Biomedical Problems
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NASA Statement on Artemis Lunar Lander Court Decision
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 05, 2021
NASA was notified Thursday that the U.S. Court of Federal Claims denied Blue Origin's bid protest, upholding NASA's selection of SpaceX to develop and demonstrate a modern human lunar lander. NASA will resume work with SpaceX under the Option A contract as soon as possible. In addition to this contract, NASA continues working with multiple American companies to bolster competition and commercial readiness for crewed transportation to the lunar surface. There will be forthcoming opportunities ... read more