The first manned mission to Mars is a full-length simulation

The European Space Agency has orchestrated a full-length, manned mission to Mars, but it's not really going to Mars. Six crewmen have spent nearly 8 months in a gadget-filled simulation facility designed to resemble an interplanetary spacecraft that might be used for an actual Mars mission, and this week they finally arrived in imaginary orbit.

Only able to shower once per week, and communicating with friends, family, and mission control using only artificially delayed videos and e-mails, the crew members can abandon the mission at any time — but no one has yet.

Instead, they're currently transferring cargo into the lander, and on February 14, 3 crewmembers will wear spacesuits and depart the mock lander to walk the simulated Martian terrain built for the facility. After a few missions of exploration, the crew will reunite in the spacecraft and endure a 6-month return journey.

This all sounds outrageous, but the ESA says it's a vital part of the planning process for sending people to the real red planet — a more perilous journey without an "I give up" option.

The simulation is intended to help the ESA study "the complex psychological and technical issues" involved in such a mission before the real thing is attempted. Simonetta Di Pippo, the ESA's director of human spaceflight, says: "Europe is getting ready to make a step further in space exploration: our technology and our science grow stronger every day."

(Source)

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