Astronauts are set to do a fly by of Mars in 2018 in a private spacecraft with limited capacity making the trip rather claustrophobic for some. The craft will also be utilizing technology that turns human waste into a radiation shield to protect the astronauts from dangerous solar radiation. The mission is funded privately by billionaire Dennis Tito and has somewhat of a twist to it. Tito plans to... 

A new word is launched in Russia: a Marsonaut. The six members of the simulation programme for a visit to Mars have started the third phase of the experiment, namely a Mars landing followed by the first Mars walk. The Russian flag now flies firmly and proudly on the Red Planet! Work is under way in Russia in the first active tests in the simulation phase of the manned space flight to Mars. The multinational... 

Six volunteers will today be locked up together in a windowless, mock spaceship for 520 days. The ‘astronauts’ will be trapped inside the capsule for a simulated flight to Mars, and are expected to live and work as if they are on the 43-million mile journey for real. The all-male crew will not endure weightlessness, but from today they will follow a harsh regimen of experiments and exercise. The...