Between 27Apr-01May, the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), in partnership with researchers from 11 countries on three continents conducted a Mars Analog field campaign in the Giant Ice Caverns of the Dachstein region in Austria. This test was the first of its kind in a subsurface environment. Take a visual tour in 25 pictures through this extraordinary 5 day project.

1 26Apr2012: The first OeWF team arrives on and starts with the transportation to the cable car station “Schönbergalm”. Sebastian Sams gently directs the Hard-Upper Torso element of the Aouda.X spacesuit simulator out of the gondola. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

2 After setting up the control stations, a first cave tour was arranged to choose the best locations for the upcoming tests. One question however remains: How are we supposed to bring the fully-suited astronaut through the narrow parts of the cave? Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

3 27Apr2012: With the first early-morning gondola to the „Schönbergalm“ –where we have established the local command center (“OPS” for operation) in a separate room of the restaurant. Today we expect the international teams to arrive, plus, we are planning a last training donning (putting on of the suit). There is so much to do before that, such as installing the communications infrastructure in- and outside the cave. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

4 After the safety briefing for all experimenters, the team gets a 2 hours tour of the caves to familiarize the researchers with the environmental conditions. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

5 Meanwhile, the first donning on-site is being prepared as the OeWF team transports the hardware to the cave entrance at 1300 m altitude. Although the track vehicle is a great replacement for mules, suit tester Daniel Föger has to carry the Hard-Upper Torso of the suit himself to avoid the vibrations of our chariot: Such, a 15min ascent can be pretty exhausting already. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

6 The donning oft he suit takes 2 hours, suit tester Daniel Foeger is supported by 2-3 suit technicians connected to the OPS. In total, the suit weighs 45kg. Right before the closure of the helmet the On-Board Data Handling system and the life support is activated and the communication is checked. We are “GO” for EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity)! Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

7 28Apr2012: The quiet before the storm: Today is media day. In addition to a large crowd of journalists, camera team and photographers, the OeWF is organizing a MarsTweetup. The team is gathering like each morning to man the first gondola. Today already at 07:30 – intermingled with a few very surprised mountaineers. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

8 A busy OPS: Flight planner Alejandra Sans discussed with Assistant Flight Director Reinhard Tlustos todays EVA on the cave map. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

9 In the meantime, Flight Director Norbert Frischauf coordinates the last details of the rover parade with Tom Schachner of the Part-Time Scientists team. Photo: (c) OEWF (Andreas Köhler)

10 Around 09:00 the MarsTweetup participants arrive: 16 users oft he microblogging plattform Twitter from all over Europe followed the OeWF’s call and seize the chane for a unique behind-the-scenes look of a real Mars Analog-simulation. Alexander Soucek fascinates the “Tweeps” (twitter-users) with an enthusiastic keynote presentation. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

11 The focus of the media attention is the Aouda.X spacesuit simulator. Suit tester Daniel Schildhammer patiently answers the questions of the journalists, takes the helmet off sevarl times and guides the journalists deep into the cave. In the morning, the OeWF, represented by project manager Gernot Groemer, the major of Obertraun, Egon Hoell and the CEO of the Dachstein AG Alfred Brueckschloegl host a press conference. In the course of this media event, the TECHCOS safety certificate was awarded in public. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

12 In addition to the Aouda.X spacesuit simulator, the media team expressed their interest in the international experiments: E.g. the MAGMA-White rover of the Polish Mars Society, carrying the WISDOM ground penetration radar attracted the journalists. Photo: (c) OEWF (Andreas Köhler)

13 The WISDOM team arrived with 2 georadar systems (destined to fly on the 2018 EXOMARS-mission to the Red Planet) and obtained the first pilot data in a side cave on a giant ice lens. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

14 In the King-Arthur Dome, suit tester Daniel Schildhammer demonstrated the usage of instruments and rock sampling techniques despite the limitations of a spacesuit. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

15 After an exhaustive day as suit tester, Daniel Schildhammer is relieved to take of the weight of the suit and enjoys a lighter mood in the warm sun. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

1629Apr2012: Today starts the science: As the first experiment, suit tester Daniel Foeger gently directs the Cliff Reconnaissance Vehicle of the French Mars Society over an ice cliff in Tristan Dome. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

17 In the meantime in the Parsival Dome, the MAGMA rover team test their rover on pure ice. This turns out o be quite a challange due to the slippiness of the ground. The MAGMA White rover is also a part of the Open Mars Yard project. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

18 The Part-Time scientists have installed themselves with their “King of the Caves” in the King Arthur Dome to perform their first trafficability tests with the lunar rover Asimov R3. Due to the high humidity, this is quite a challenge, especially for he little rover. Photo: (c) Part-Time Scientists (Alex Adler)

19 Bernard Foing from the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) discusses the procedures for a sterile sampling process with Ulrich Luger, OeWF. In the meantime, suit tester Daniel Foeger prepares the materials in the box. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

20At the end of the third day of the campaign, the rovers and two flying robots show their local pride during the “rover parade”. From small to (relatively) large they will also one day assist human explorers on the surface of Mars. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

21 30Apr2012: Premiere on the fourth test day: For the first time, a science experiment is handed over during an ongoing activity to research teams from overseas. Via audio and video telemetry and a continuous stream of suit sensor network data, the reseachers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in PAssadena/California direct the suit tester to the desired sample location. In this case, biologist Lara Vimercati assists the suit testers in taken the very samples which will than be analyized in the JPL laboratories. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

22 Aouda.X – our “princess” gracefully walks the Dachstein giant ice caves – deserving the title “Queen of the Caves”. Most of our respect goes to the two suit testers Daniel Schildhammer and Daniel Foeger, who led the princess to all the test sites within the cave system. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

23 Only in the field, the team is confronted with challenges hard to anticipate in the laboratory: The otherwise perfect AKG headset slipped over the snoopy-cap when walking with a forward bent Hard-Upper Torso in the narrow passages of the cave. As a consequence, the helmet had to be opened to corrcect that problem (although Aouda.X has a back-up loudspeaker in the helmet – but we’d love to have a working primary system). On Mars that would not be possible and might lead to a loss of communication. In this case the quick-fix was a set of powertape-stripes over the snoopy-cap. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

24 No other field test was as physically demanding as the Dachstein caves. Often the suit testers had to bend forward to protect the antenna from the shallow cave ceilings, accepting the 45kg of Aouda.X on their backs in an uncomfortable position. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

25 01May2012: Despite technical challanges during the donning, also the fifth day of the campaign was concluded with two experiments. For JPL, the field crew collected new ice samples, where during the procedure, the Kiwimars-Crew at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah took over. The simulated loss of communication between the suit tester and the OeWF OPS was compensated by the “other” Martian landing party on literally on the other side of the planet. Photo: (c) OEWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

This project was supported by our industrial partners Catalysts, Techcos, ABM Space Education as well as the Austrian Research Promotion Agency on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transportation, Innovation and Technology’s Austrian Space Applications Programme.

The OeWF field crew is very much looking forward to its next field campaign, 2013 in Morocco. On to Northern Africa! On to Mars!

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