RUSSIA’S space agency is looking for six volunteers to spend 15 months locked in a mock space capsule as part of its plan to put a man on Mars.

The Soviet Union sent the first man into space but was beaten to the moon — and now Russia is planning a manned mission to the red planet as early as 2015 — 15 years before an expected American attempt.

The agency needs to test the physical and psychological effects of long confinement on its cosmonauts. It has already received more than 40 applications from around the world. Selection will begin in the autumn.

Early next year the crew will be subjected to rigorous tests and training before they enter a hermetically sealed mock space craft for up to 458 days — the estimated time of the return flight.

“It’s a unique experiment,” said Mark Belakovsky of the Centre for Medical and Biological Problems, which will take part in the project. “No one can really be completely sure of what to expect on such a long mission.”

The volunteers, who will be subjected to both weightlessness and the reduced gravity of Mars, will be under constant observation. Their capsule will have a gym, a television and a small laboratory where they will grow salad to supplement their rations.

They will be able to wash only with baby wipes and lotions. Crew members will simulate serious illness to train the others to be self- sufficient. They will also be required to perform mock surgery on each other.

“Living conditions on the way to Mars will be very harsh,” said Belakovsky. “Radiation levels will be high and temperatures will vary in the extreme. In addition there is the danger of intense flashes from the sun which could cause dangerous magnetic problems. It’s a tough journey and we want to simulate what it will be like.”

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