Two American space engineers are currently locked in a capsule in Moscow taking part in an eight-month NASA space experiment, seemingly unaware of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the race for US citizens to get out of Russia.
William Brown and Ashley Kowalski are currently living in the capsule along with three Russians and an Emirati for a NASA-experiment known as SIRIUS 21, which involves isolating for eight months as part of a space mission simulation.
They went into the capsule in November and are not due to come out until June this year. The only contact the group has with the outside world are letters that are uploaded to a secure server operated by a coordinator involved in the experiment.
The last time Brown’s friends heard from him was before Putin launched his invasion into Ukraine on February 24, and they are now concerned about how much the group knows.
They also can’t be sure that letters written since the invasion are making it to the team or who is in charge of controlling the server.
William Brown (front left) and Ashley Kowalski (back center) are currently living in the capsule along with three Russians and an Emirati for a NASA-experiment known as SIRIUS 21, which involves isolating for eight months as part of a space mission simulation. It is not known how much they know about the war going on in Ukraine, or the worsening relations between Russia and the rest of the world
Ashley Kowalski, 32, and William Brown, 36, are both American citizens with extensive experience in engineering. They signed up for the NASA experiment last year and entered the capsule in November after being physically vetted
The group entered the capsule on November 3rd and since then, their only contact has been through letters loaded onto a server
The crew are shown inside the capsule enjoying a Thanksgiving meal that was prepared for them by a chef. Their friends say they cannot be sure how much they all know about the ongoing war
NASA will not comment on how much the crew knows or whether or not they plan to end the experiment and get them out.
The US has now closed its airspace to Russia, meaning no Russian commercial planes can fly to America.
It remains unclear whether Putin will retaliate by closing his airspace to American airlines too but if he does, it makes it even more difficult for any Americans who are in Russia to get out.
On Sunday, the State Department issued a warning to all Americans left in Russia that they should seek to leave immediately.
Photographer Nathan Crane, who is friends with Brown, said he has not heard from him since before the invasion last week.
‘I was in contact with him last week about it and he is aware of it likely happening though I am unsure about how extensive his knowledge of it is at this point.
‘I haven’t heard back from him since the last letter which makes me wonder if the Russian side is holding letters from them so they don’t find out more about the atrocities happening in Ukraine.
‘That’s my personal opinion but I have no idea,’ he told DailyMail.com on Wednesday.
He is among those who hopes NASA will suspend the program and get the crew out of Russia while they can still catch flights.
‘I know NASA and the program try to stay apolitical but I think (and hope) the program will be suspended. I don’t know what is going to happen,’ he said.
Kowalski, right, with Russian Victoria Kirichenko, right, and Emirati Saleh Al Ameri, left. All of their social media accounts are being run by friends who can access the information on the server and share it with the outside world
A NASA mock-up of the simulation capsule shows where the group will spend their time in the eight-month challenge
The point of the experiment is to track as closely as possible what the long-term effects are on astronauts’ health of going into space
Close ups from a NASA brochure shows the gym area where the group take part in physical tests to monitor their health
Another of the spaces inside the NASA capsule. NASA will not comment on how much the group knows, or if the experiment is going to continue
Kowlaski, 32, previously worked at the Aerospace Corporation in California and Brown, 36, has experience in ‘military, defense contracting, healthcare consulting, software engineering, and logistics.’
They are joined in the capsule by Russians Oleg Blinov, the commander, Victoria Kirichenko, Ekaterina Kariakina and Saleh Al Ameri, from the United Arab Emirates.
All were selected after a vetting process by NASA, in coordination with IMBP – Russia’s State Scientific Research center.
Until last week, when Putin invaded Ukraine, the IMBP social media pages were constantly refreshed with photos of the international crew inside the capsule.
The crew enjoyed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year celebrations together with specially prepared meals by international chefs.
Photos were uploaded to the server then blasted to the world.
The crewmembers’ social media accounts are now being run by their close family and friends.
The capsule is inside a Soviet-era building ‘on the outskirts of Moscow’ and according to a profile in Foreign Policy last year, the point of the experiment is to mimic as closely as possible what the real space experience is like for astronauts.
The group will undergo daily tests to measure how their bodies and minds are coping with the isolation and the physical constraints.
