“We prepared ourselves mentally for two months. One venture was a teambuilding project in the Russian winter. We were to survive for three days at temperatures as low as minus-16 degrees F, and we were only allowed to eat what we could find in the forest. We learned that we were able to function under very austere conditions, and that did a lot for team spirit.”

  CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PHASES THAT YOU WENT THROUGH IN ISOLATION?

  “During the first phase, motivation is high. The group is making focused efforts to do everything right. Everyone is prepared to work 25 hours a day. This phase levels off toward the end of the second month when small dis- putes, quarrels and sloppy scientific work arise. In the middle of the third month — toward the end of the experiment — spirits rise to even higher levels than at the beginning.”

  DO YOU THINK SOMETHING SIMILAR WOULD HAPPEN IN A REAL MISSION?

  “I am sure that on the journey to Mars, there will be periods with falling motivation. But when the surface of Mars is in sight, it will rise again. And on the way back, the crew will need all their mental resources during the middle period.”

  WHAT WAS THE EFFECT OF FOUR RUSSIANS AND TWO EUROPEANS?

  “It caused special problems. The Russians had cooperated before we arrived. The four of them knew each other and they had been locked up together for two weeks. That meant that we were not always treated as equal partners — it was difficult to be integrated. In a real mission to Mars, the group would have to be put together more optimally.”

  HOW DID THAT PROBLEM INFLUENCE YOUR WORK SPECIFICALLY?

  “For instance, I was wondering when the gate between our facility and the institute would be open, allowing things to be sent back and forth. The Russians knew when, i.e., some information was never communicated to the West European members of the team.”

  PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE OFTEN TRIGGERS BAD COMMUNICATION WITH THE CONTROL CENTER. DID YOURS?

  “Yes. We experienced that the control center asked us to do things which were utterly impossible. Or they made unfair demands concerning our food and when to eat it. Personally, I am a very calm guy, but others got very angry and started shouting. You can really get to hate the control center.”