Photo of the day: 200 Days on a Fake Moon

This week’s photo theme is Reddish Heavens: a smear of red/orange/pink hue muddling the horizon, real or imagined…

Today’s image, which may be kind of a stretch but that we think looks cool regardless, comes from China Daily, who report:

Two men and two women volunteered and spent 200 days in a simulated space lab in Beijing, setting a world record for the longest stay in a self-contained “cabin.”

The biomedicine students from Beihang University, the second group of volunteers staying in Yuegong-1, also known as Lunar Palace 1, completed the second phase of its 365-day on-ground experiment Friday.

The first group of volunteers, who had previously stayed in the cabin for 60 days, re-entered the cabin Friday to the replace the second group, starting the third and final phase which will last 105 days.

The experiment was designed to see how the Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS), in which animals, plants and microorganisms co-exist, works in a lunar environment, as well as the physical and mental conditions of humans in such an environment.

Neat. For wider context, read Newsweek’s story on China’s preparations to become the first country to complete a lunar landing on the far side of the moon by the end of this year.

Cover image: China Daily