Simulated mission to Mars made astronauts sleepy, lethargic, and less motivated

Simulated mission to Mars made astronauts sleepy, lethargic, and less motivated:

Back in November 2011, a multinational crew of six ended their 17-month long simulation to Mars and back. Confined to a trailer for 520 days, the pretend-astronauts had every detail of their lifestyle tracked, including their sleep-wake cycles, physical movements, intellectual activities, and light exposure. Now, looking at the results, it appears that the simulated journey had some noticeably detrimental effects, including a condition known as hypokinesis (decreased physical movement), an increased need for sleep, lack of motivation, and a lower tolerance for light — an indication that there's still lots of work to be done to prepare astronauts for a prolonged mission to the Red Planet. More »