Nasa starts year-long experiment to mimic life on Mars

A team of Nasa recruits has begun living in a dome near an old volcano in Hawaii to mimic what life would be like on Mars.

The isolation experiment, which will last a year starting on Friday, will be the longest of its type attempted.

The experiment is intended to help Nasa prepare for a possible human mission to the Red Planet.

The six-strong team will live in close quarters under the dome, without fresh air, fresh food or privacy.

The team members will have almost no privacy during the mission

They closed themselves away at 1am (British time) on Saturday.

A journey outside the dome - which measures only 11 metres in diameter and is 6 metres tall - will require a spacesuit.

Support staff member Brian Shiro (left) is pictured with team members Sophie Milam, Joceyln Dunn, Zak Wilson, Allen Mirkadyrov, Martha Lenio and Neil Scheibelhut

A French and a German scientist and four Americans - a pilot, an architect, a journalist and a soil scientist - make up the Nasa team.

The men and women will each have a small sleeping cot and a desk inside their rooms. They will also be given food packets that include powdered cheese and canned tuna.