Healthlab / Mobphysiolab

The scientific world expects the first manned space flight to Mars to take place within the next 30 years, that is, by 2040. Indeed, the countdown has already begun behind the scenes - even in Hambühren. Starting at the end of March, six hand-picked volunteers will be sealed in airtight containers in a Moscow research institute for 105 days. Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) and a Russian biomedical institute want to find out now how well Mars astronauts will handle separation - which for the real mission will last 520 days - from their families and personal surroundings. The technical centerpiece of this long-term experiment is a stress measurement lab called "Healthlab," developed by Berlin biomedical specialists in close cooperation with KORA engineers.

While the astronauts simulate space docking maneuvers on board this facility, this revolutionary system will be recording pulse, blood pressure, respiration, and mood, and analyzing the data. When and where are the physical and psychological stress limits reached in a permanent state of emergency? How can we filter for especially stress-resistant candidates for the maiden flight to the red planet? Because in the event of a crisis, Mars is 400 million kilometers away and at that distance, emergency calls will take 20 minutes to reach Earth.