Will we reach Mars?

21:10 | 02/ 07/ 2008

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov) - The title of this article could be continued: Will we be able to come back? It may take years to find an answer, but the search has already been launched.

During the next month, the Institute of Bio-Medical Problems will conduct a medical experiment to develop non-surgical methods of treatment for diseases that cosmonauts may develop during a long journey to Mars.

Hardly anything can prevent mankind from launching piloted flights to other planets. But alongside technicalities, it will have to resolve the problem of preserving the life and health of a man who will be the most precious and vulnerable link in a Martian or any other mission.

Previous studies of the bio-medical problems of manned space flights have focused on the rigors of long orbital flights. If a cosmonaut on, for example, the International Space Station (ISS) requires surgery, or the crew develops a psychological problem, or some vital part of the station's life-support system (LSS) fails, it is possible to stop the flight and return the crew on Earth very quickly. But this is not possible on longer-range space missions. This is why it is essential to work out a comprehensive package of measures that will allow cosmonauts to be in space for a long time, and safely return home.

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