Hatch Opens as Simulated Mars Mission Ends

By Nancy Atkinson - November 04, 2011 01:21 PM UTC | Space Exploration

The first Mars crew has "returned" home. Thee Mars500 crew of six complete their simulated mission to Mars, with the hatch opening today, November 4, 2011. You can watch the replay the crew coming out of their 520 days of isolation inside a mock spaceship, which was actually in Russia. They crew has done countless hours of experiments, testing both the physiological and psychological effects of being "away from Earth" -- isolated -- for long periods of time.

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Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com