'It's like we've never been away': Pale but smiling astronauts emerge from windowless capsule after 500-day simulated Mars trip

The 'astronauts' were pale, but smiling as the all-male crew of a 'mission to Mars' emerged from a space facility in Moscow after 520 days.

The team,  three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese emerged from the facility in Moscow, which simulated confinement, stress and fatigue of interplanetary travel - the only thing not simulated was weightlessness.

Despite that, the crew showed no sign of stress as they walked to microphones to speak before cameras. We hope that we can help in designing the future missions to Mars,' Frenchman Romain Charles said with a smile.   More Read