Mars 500 virtual mission completed

MOSCOW, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A simulated mission to Mars has been completed successfully in Russia, space officials said Friday.

Six crew members from Russia, China, France and Italy spent 520 days inside the spacecraft mock-up, attempting to mimic every aspect of an interplanetary flight without really flying into space as part of a medical research program for the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow.

The international team of doctors, engineers and flight specialists were separated from their families, beginning July 3, 2010.

The crew performed more than 100 experiments, all linked to the problems of long-duration missions in deep space, the European Space Agency said in a release.

"Thank you very much for your outstanding effort," ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain in his greeting from Paris after the crew stepped from their module. "I welcome the courage, determination and generosity of these young people who have devoted almost two years of their lives to this project, for the progress of human space exploration."

The crew will undergo extensive medical checks and psychological evaluations before talking to the media Nov. 8 in Moscow, ESA said.