The experiment, which is being run by the Russian Institute of Biological Problems, will sequester the six volunteers in a "Mars Expeditionary Complex" for 520 days beginning in late 2008.
According to the project's Web site, the trial proposes to simulate a space flight to Mars in all of its ramifications, including a 250-day "trip" to the Red Planet, a 30-day period on its surface, and a 240-day return flight.
During their nearly one-and-a-half year isolation, crewmembers will experience many of the conditions likely to be encountered by astronauts on a real flight through interplanetary space.
They will adhere to a strict daily regime of work, rest and exercise, and will eat exactly what crews aboard the International Space Station (ISS) consume.
The spokesman said that two preliminary "flights" would take place before the principal experiment begins, and will involve a 14-day and a 105-day version. A crew for the second practice run will be chosen by the end of the year.
