400 million miles from home without a quick return. Delayed communication, potentially perishable equipment, and a complete lack of terrestrial services – such a life awaits the first colonists on Mars. But will they tolerate it? Russian scientists are beginning to doubt.

© commons.wikimedia.org

Mars is certainly not a very hospitable planet. However, with modern equipment we can adapt to difficult environmental conditions. The journey there will be very dangerous – Elon Musk has repeatedly said that the first astronauts to march are likely to die. But imagine that people travel to the Red Planet and live there safely. How do they cope with stress?

As the nations gradually began a new space race, Russian scientists decided to see if the inevitable isolation of another planet would confuse the colonists’ minds. In 2017, they conducted 17, and in 2019, 120-day isolation trials.

The results confirmed what scientists feared – such isolation encourages colonists to secede and become a fully autonomous group. Previous simulations have led scientists to believe that the colonists of Mars may have experienced a sense of community at the control center of the Earth mission. This is because astronauts in a particular situation feel that their remaining companions on Earth can no longer understand their needs and the seriousness of their situation. The fact that communication is severely delayed also does not help. Therefore, when advice and decisions from the land seem cheap and still too late, the colonists will act on their own.

Interestingly, the women first tried to maintain a good relationship with the mission’s control center. But over time, men and women began to make their own decisions. This could pose a serious challenge as Earth scientists have a wealth of useful information and can help carry out the mission. Even a deliberate severance of the colony’s autonomy or affiliation would not only be dangerous, but would also disrupt future missions.

The only way to avoid this is to form communication and train future colonists. Understanding the possibility of having the desire to make decisions on your own can help to avoid complete separation. But, of course, more information will come out after lengthy trials, in which participants will spend months or years in isolation.