Scientists in the Antarctic are to be trained in docking a Soyuz spacecraft on to the International Space Station as part of a series of spaceflight simulations designed to study the physical and psychological impact of a future manned mission to the Moon or Mars.
A team of researchers atthe British Antarctic Survey will take part in dummy tests on a Soyuz flight simulator at the Halley Research Station this coming austral winter, which involves four months of 24-hour total darkness between May and August.
A deal between BAS and the European Space Agency will see 14 Antarctic researchers take part in training to make the approach and docking procedure on a Soyuz simulator to test how their skill and reactions change during the winter months of darkness and isolation.
"Antarctic is an analogue environment for space flight. It allows us to simulate space flight without actually going into space," said Dr Nathalie Pattyn, the medical researcher seconded to oversee the project at Halley.
"You have a small group of people who are isolated in a remote place where they can't get out. In winter you aren't able to evacuate quickly from here," Pattyn said.
"Just like a spacecraft or a space base on the Moon or Mars, we rely on a technical system for our life support. If there is a total power failure in winter we have to do something ourselves," she said.
The European Space Agency is also running a series of space-flight experiments at the Franco-Italian Antarctic base at Dome Concordia, 3200m above sea level on the high Antarctic plateau, which in terms of oxygen corresponds to an altitude of 3800m at the equator.
These will enable the space agency to make a judgment as to which air pressure would best suit a space base, Pattyn said.
"We are also running other experiments making use of the austral summer, with its constant illumination and the austral winter, with its constant darkness. "One of these studies aims to test how the team's eyes adapt to the prolonged period of darkness. Another one investigates how physical activity and the body clock regulation may alter sleep patterns."
