Eight months on 'Hawaiian Mars' tests rigors of exploration

Washington (AFP) - Six people have sealed themselves inside a white vinyl dome in Hawaii to embark on an eight-month test of how their mental health might fare during a mission to Mars.

The NASA-funded project, the longest US Mars simulation yet, involves three men and three women who have no access to fresh food and limited access to Internet that requires 20-minute intervals between click and response, as it might be in deep space.

They are allowed to venture outside their igloo-like enclosure -- which measures 36 feet (11 meters) in diameter and 20 feet (six meters) tall -- only if wearing a spacesuit .... http://news.yahoo.com