14 July 2009
Today was the end of a 105-day long study that saw six astronauts living in isolation rooms in Moscow, Russia, helping to discover what it would by like to live and work on a long mission to Mars.
Their rooms included a kitchen, research areas, bedrooms and a gym, where they were given lots of different tasks and experiments to perform.
The scientists observing the six astronauts tried out different colours of lighting to help reduce the stress of working long shifts, as well as running through emergency procedures and simulating the long delays in communication which would happen between Earth and the spacecraft.
The results from these tests could also help people working long shifts in confined environments like hospitals and power plant control rooms, making them feel better and keep more alert.