Experiments with Isolation: Past, Present, and Future

This paper provides a review of experiments with extended confinement and isolation of small groups of volunteers in controlled environments. These studies provide opportunities to test approaches and tools enhancing the systems of biomedical support to space crews and to lay the groundwork of remote autonomous space missions in future. This review describes scenarios, goals, objectives, and main results of the long-duration isolation projects carried out at the Ground-Based Test Facility of the Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP) since 1960s and a forthcoming series of the Sirius analog studies. The authors elaborate on the fundamental principles of successful and productive accomplishment of this type of projects.