Six NASA engineers currently sealed inside a capsule in Moscow might be the only people on Earth who don't know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Since Vladimir Putin's forces invaded the Eastern European country last week, the bloody conflict has dominated the news all around the world with tales of heroism and tragedy dripping in from the front line every day.
But the intrepid group of scientists who are taking part in a joint NASA and Russian Space Program eight-month isolation experiment would appear to be none the wiser.
The group have been sealed inside the capsule since November 2021 for an experiment known as SIRIUS 21, which seeks to simulate a space mission.
Comprised of one Emirati, two Americans and interestingly three Russians, they are set to be released in June 2022.
The group's only contact with the outside world is through letters that are uploaded to a secure server and fed into the capsule by a coordinator reports the MailOnline.
It is not known if the scientists have been informed of the geopolitical developments and if they have been, what tensions are like inside the capsule.
The two American participants William Brown and Ashley Kowalski were pictured celebrating Thanksgiving with their capsule compatriots in November but updates from the inside are few and far between.
And now, Brown's friends are reportedly concerned about how much he knows as they have heard nothing from him since the invasion.
Speaking to the Mail, Brown's close friend Nathan Crane admitted he was worried by the silence.
He said: "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.
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"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.
"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."
NASA has thus far refused to comment on how much information the SIRUS 21 team have or if the experiment will end early.
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