Chinese volunteers hit world record, having lived 370 days in autonomous moon lab

Beijing. May 17. Silkroadnews - Chinese volunteers have completed a one-year test living in a simulated space lab in Beijing, setting a new record for the longest stay in a self-contained cabin, Ecns.cn portal reports.
Four students, two males and two females, emerged from the analogue of the Yuegong-1 lunar module at Beihang University to the applause of academics, researchers and fellow students.
The total duration of the experiment, which began on May 10 last year, was 370 days, with the third stage accounting for 110 days.
According to Liu Hong, chief designer of Yuegong-1, the experiment was the longest stay in a bioregenerative life support system (BLSS) in which humans, animals, plants and microorganisms co-exist in a closed environment, simulating the lunar base. Oxygen, water and food are recycled within the BLSS, recreating an environment similar to that of the Earth, the report says.
“The system is 98 percent self-sufficient. It has been stable and effective in providing life support for its passengers,” the agency quoted her saying.
The BLSS is an important part of the technology needed for long-term human stay on the moon or other extraterrestrial sites, she also noted.
Researchers will evaluate the physical and mental conditions of volunteers, study test results and examine BLSS equipment that can be loaded into space laboratories, probes of the Moon and Mars in the future.
“The test has important implications for human endeavors to achieve long-term stays outside the Earth. The experience, technology and findings will be conducive for future space exploration efforts,” Wang Jun, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, is cited. According to him, the BLSS can also be used in areas with deficit of water and low level of oxygen.
The previous record was set in the former Soviet Union, where in the early 1970s, three people stayed in a similar closed ecosystem for 180 days.