"Starship" on three: the secret history of the Martian experiment of the USSR

Much unbearable to be two weeks in isolation due COVID-19, because of the habit to limit their movement and communication difficult. But you will become much easier to relate to similar things when you learn the story of a Soviet experiment conducted 53 years ago. The participants were not just in isolation, but was literally immured for a year in a cramped capsule, simulating the HAB spacecraft.

The space race that exists today between some countries, started in the 50-ies of the last century. The desire to be first in space, on the moon and on Mars were forced Soviet and American scientists to work tirelessly. All perfectly understood that little is to deliver the crew to a distant planet, you need to make it so that he arrived alive and healthy, including mentally.

Sergei Korolev

Sergei Korolev had seriously planned to send the first Soviet space mission to Mars in 1974. But work on the defiant project began in advance, 7 years before the estimated launch date. The father of the Soviet space program knew how to get the astronauts to the Red planet and calculated that a one-way flight will take exactly a year, but wasn't sure what the person can do this way in a small space, and even with other people.

5 November 1967, launched the most severe and unusual experiment in the history of the Soviet space program called "spaceship Earth". Engineer Boris Ulybyshev, doctor German Manovtsev and biologist Andrei Bozhko was locked in the capsule, simulating the cockpit of a spaceship for a year. Native participants of the experiment said undertake a mission to the North pole for 12 months — work they were very secretive and did not know about it even wife.

German Manovtsev, Boris Ulybyshev and Andrew Bozhko

The team of Sergei Korolev as much as possible complicated conditions, the lives of three "astronauts". Their specially picked up taking into account the incompatibility of the characters and the researchers had planned to ignite in a small team conflicts. In the area of 12 square meters, in addition to the three men, placed supplies of food, three folding shelves, a tiny stove and a compact bathroom.

For hygienic purposes relied a bucket of water for 10 days, and to drink was water, obtained from urine by distillation. Thus, in the sealed capsule was created a closed system that was not going to interfere from the outside. A few months after the start of the experiment to the capsule docked a small greenhouse, where a biologist Bozhko could carry out his experiments.

The main problem of the three isolated men was not monotonous food, not water shortage and distress, and psychological incompatibility. The struggle for leadership, personal animosity and even hatred — it through members of a secret experience.

The first "mutiny" occurred just two months after the start of the experiment. Bozhko and Ulybyshev began to ignore orders Manovtseva, who was the commander of the crew. The Macs is in a doubly difficult situation — on the one hand boycott of my colleagues, and with another — constant thoughts about remaining at home wife, who is about to give birth.

German Manovtsev trains on the bar

There were moments when the inhabitants of the capsule was ready to pounce on each other with fists. This would mean a complete failure of the experiment and therefore had to exert maximum effort and to control myself. Over time, the crew develops life-saving tactics — each withdraws into himself and silently, day by day, doing his job.

When the MCC decided to complicate the terms "flight" — raised the temperature to 35 degrees, reduced oxygen levels and turned off the tile, providing hot meals, men did not quarrel, but rather rallied against new problems.

Oddly enough, but in this story people, hermetically "sealed" for a year in a capsule there is a place in the light feelings. The only unmarried member of the crew, Andrei Bozhko, found the love of your life from the comfort of the scientific prison. Once the biologist has at its disposal a greenhouse in MCC has changed the duty operator. Each day began with the words of this girl — "Good morning, guys."

Biologist Andrey Bozhko at work

Once Andrew Bozhko caught a glimpse of the operator, through a poorly drawn outside the curtain. Her name was Violetta and man crazy in love. A resourceful biologist, risking a reprimand and even to leave the team, began to leave love messages to the passion in the ground, at the gateway entrance to the greenhouse. Notes passed Violetta engineer, meet outside the technical part of the experiment.

The day of the completion of the experiment

Soviet astronauts never went to Mars, but this does not mean that small but selfless deed was useless. These days, the materials obtained in the 60s, used for making recommendations to the members of the crews of orbital stations. Science and technology for half a century has leaped forward, but the compartments of the spacecraft continues to close and is extremely harsh.

Finally it is worth saying that the experiments of long-term isolation, are always difficult and often fraught with unexpected situations.