After a full month of very exciting scientific experimentation, testing of prototypes and a collection of lessons learned the final day of the MARS2013 mission has arrived. The field team on Mars is stowing the last pieces of equipment and getting ready for the return journey to Earth.

MARS2013 has been both an amazing experience for the mission team, as well as a considerable achievement for the OeWF and all the mission partners. It has shown how much energy can be generated by a group of persons who have dedication, focus and will. Flight Director Alexander Soucek summed up the mission by saying: “MARS2013 has been the first long mission of the OeWF. It made something possible that just one year ago was just an idea. And if there is no one to turn an idea into reality, it will remain an idea.”

Where to from here? (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

But even though it is the final day of the MARS 2013 mission, this is far from the end. Firstly, the OeWF is planning a scientific conference in Vienna on May 24–26 where the data and results from the mission experiments will be presented.

Nor will this mission be just a stand-alone effort. The OeWF PolAres research program, of which MARS2013 has been the latest part, envisions a still larger and more challenging field test in 2014 in the arctic regions. And who knows which even more exciting and ambitious projects lie ahead in the future? As MARS2013 Expedition Leader and OeWF President Gernot Grömer said: “I’m very much looking forward to what’s coming next, because our missions don’t get smaller.”

Last but not least, we would like to extend our gratitude to you, all of our readers who have accompanied us on this incredible journey. We hope that you will continue to follow our updates on Twitter, on Facebook, and here on the OeWF blog, and especially that you will join us on our future projects. Keep reaching for the stars!