Russia's 'Mars men' return to the world

Six men have emerged from a 105-day stay in a Soviet-era mock spacecraft testing the stresses space travellers may one day face on the journey to Mars.

Russian Sergei Ryazansky and his crew, chosen from 6,000 applicants, were paid £13,000 each to be sealed up in the mock space capsule near Moscow on 31 March.

Their only link to the outside world was communication with the experiment's controllers - who also monitored them via TV cameras - and an internal email system.

Mr Ryazansky said: "The most difficult part was that the flight was not for real."