The closest thing on Earth to a mission to Mars

By Meera Senthilingam, for CNN

Updated 1321 GMT (2121 HKT) December 9, 2015

Scientists are using the Concordia research station in Antarctica to research the effects of long space missions. In winter, no sunlight is seen for four months and the typical crew of 12 live in complete isolation.
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Scientists are using the Concordia research station in Antarctica to research the effects of long space missions. In winter, no sunlight is seen for four months and the typical crew of 12 live in complete isolation.
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The next goal for space exploration is for humans to travel to Mars. Antarctica provides a good analogue to research some of the physical and psychological challenges of during long-duration spaceflight.
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The next goal for space exploration is for humans to travel to Mars. Antarctica provides a good analogue to research some of the physical and psychological challenges of during long-duration spaceflight.
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Living in this white space is, in many ways, similar to living on another planet. The isolation and low oxygen are aspects of life astronauts will have to endure to explore our Solar System.
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Living in this white space is, in many ways, similar to living on another planet. The isolation and low oxygen are aspects of life astronauts will have to endure to explore our Solar System.
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Crews live for up to one year at the research station where cramped living conditions resemble those experienced in spaceflight.
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Crews live for up to one year at the research station where cramped living conditions resemble those experienced in spaceflight.
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Flights bring crews and supplies to the station except for four months of the year -- during winter -- when crews are left to fend for themselves, with no daylight.
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Flights bring crews and supplies to the station except for four months of the year -- during winter -- when crews are left to fend for themselves, with no daylight.
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The environment in Antarctica lacks sounds, smells, or sights to keep the mind stimulated. The monotony of everyday life can affect the mental health of crew members, similar to spaceflight.
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The environment in Antarctica lacks sounds, smells, or sights to keep the mind stimulated. The monotony of everyday life can affect the mental health of crew members, similar to spaceflight.
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The laboratory at the Concordia is where European Space Agency sponsored medical research doctors, like Alex Kumar, pictured, spend their winter studying the long-term effects of isolation.
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The laboratory at the Concordia is where European Space Agency sponsored medical research doctors, like Alex Kumar, pictured, spend their winter studying the long-term effects of isolation.
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Orion is NASA's latest spacecraft designed for deep space exploration and destinations never before visited by humans, including Mars.
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Orion is NASA's latest spacecraft designed for deep space exploration and destinations never before visited by humans, including Mars.
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Concordia at nightPlanet MarsWhite Space ConcordiaWhite Mars Concordia red sunsetConcordia flightAntarcticaConcordia labOrion is NASA's latest spacecraft designed for deep space exploration and destinations never before visited by humans, including Mars.

Story highlights

  • Scientists are using Antarctica to research effects of long space missions
  • "You're so far removed it feels like you're standing on another planet," says Alex Kumar, who has worked there
  • Living there brings challenges of isolation, lack of daylight and stress

Vital Signs is a monthly program bringing viewers health stories from around the world.

(CNN)The buildings lie at the southern-most tip of the Earth, on a plateau 3,200 meters above sea level. Other than their occupants, the nearest human beings are 600 kilometers away, making it more remote than the International Space Station.

Four months of the year there is complete darkness -- all day, every day.
    This is the Concordia research station in Antarctica, a French-Italian facility, where up to 16 people live for one year in complete isolation -- all in the name of science.
      Concordia is Earth's closest analogue to long-term space missions, making it home for various scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA). Their eventual goal? A manned mission to Mars.
      "By watching how the human body and mind adapts in Antarctica, we can plan and predict what would happen in space," says Alex Kumar, a doctor with the National Institute for Health Research, in the UK.
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      Kumar has visited Concordia twice to date, for both the ESA and the White Mars project, and spoke of his experienc