MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. The SIRIUS long isolation experiment will begin in late January next year, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems within the Russian Academy of Sciences Oleg Orlov told TASS on Wednesday.
SIRIUS (Scientific International Research in Unique Terrestrial Station) is a series of experiments held to prepare for space flights, first of all, to the Deep Space Gateway lunar orbital station. The participants in the research will stay in isolation in the IMBP ground-based experimental module from 17 days to a year.
"The four-month isolation experiment is due to begin in late January next year. The eight-month isolation experiment will be conducted in 2019-2020 and this issue is still being discussed," he said.
SIRIUS project
The first in the series of joint Russian-US experiments called SIRIUS was held in November 2017 and lasted 17 days. The crew comprised representative of Russia’s Energia Rocket and Space Corporation Mark Serov, test cosmonaut of the Cosmonaut Training Center Anna Kikina, Airbus representative Viktor Fetter (Germany) and three IMBP employees: Ilya Rukavishnikov (the crew’s doctor), Yelena Luchitskaya and Natalya Lysova. The crew conducted over 60 various experiments.
The IMBP’s short-term plans envisage holding a four-month isolation experiment scheduled to begin in late January 2019. The research will be conducted on the Institute’s premises.
As specialists say, during the four-month isolation experiment the crew will practice a flight to the Moon. The mission will aim to choose an area for the future construction of a base on the Earth’s satellite.