Six volunteers from Europe and Russia were yesterday to climb into a capsule in Moscow and spend three months in isolation to simulate conditions for an eventual manned mission to Mars.

The two Europeans and four Russians will not be allowed to leave the facility until the experiment ends 105 days later, allowing scientists to assess the effects of long duration space flight on their minds and bodies.

"How do I feel? I am very motivated. There is a kind of relief. We have been working for a long time and finally we are getting to the start point," Frenchman Cyrille Fournier said.