Russian scientists are currently training macaques to solve puzzles and use a joystick for a planned 2017 trip to Mars:
Each day a team, led by Inessa Kozlovskaya, trains the monkeys to control a joystick and hit a target highlighted by a cursor.
When they complete the task successfully they are rewarded with a sip of juice.
Once they have mastered this task the macaques will be trained to solve simple mathematical tasks and puzzles.
At the end of their training the creatures should be capable of completing a daily schedule of tasks on their own.
[...] Macaques typically have a lifespan of around 25 years, so it is hoped there is enough time to train them properly and for them to survive the six-month trip to Mars, added the team.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday October 29 2015, @06:42PM
Odd you mention the STS without mentioning the ISS.
Its been up there testing life support systems for long enough, don't you think?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by tftp on Thursday October 29 2015, @07:36PM
Odd you mention the STS without mentioning the ISS. Its been up there testing life support systems for long enough, don't you think?
It's not odd. The life support system of the ISS, and of all preceding stations, is entirely inadequate for a trip to Mars. ISS depends on periodic, frequent resupplies with oxygen, fuel, water, food. The same cargo vehicles collect and dispose of all the trash. There is some limited recycling of water (70%), but primarily the system is built around disposable filters of various types that clean the water and the air. The oxygen is produced from waste water, thus also irrevocably consuming the supply. This is not a concern on a station that is designed for resupply, but if you use a similar setup for a flight to Mars, the passengers will die after 2-3 months into the trip - not because they will drown in waste, but because before that happens they will run out of water and out of oxygen. A LSS for a trip to Mars has to support needs of the crew for both legs of the trip *and* for the stay in orbit and on the surface - and remain fully functional for at least a couple of years, in space, where repairs are either difficult or impossible.