Österreichisches Weltraum Forum Austrian Space Forum
Today at 13:45 CET, our 6 analog astronauts left the AMADEE-20 habitat in Ramon Crater for the first time in 3 weeks without a spacesuit simulator. This is the official end of AMADEE-20, our 13th Mars simulation.
In the last week of isolation, more focus was put on the experiments that needed even more scientific data. For example, the MEROP experiment was conducted almost every afternoon. During a MEROP run the analog astronauts steered the Mercator Rover from their habitat using a haptic control system. The SHARE experiment was also performed 3 times and during the EVA (extravehicular activity) on Wednesday the analog astronaut reached the target with an accuracy of 3 meters. The directions for the SHARE experiment came from different instructors from the Mission Support Center in Innsbruck.
In total, our analog astronauts spent 62 hours on EVA during the AMADEE-20 mission.
The strong scientific focus was also felt in the Mission Support Center in Innsbruck. The EVAs had to be planned in a scientifically balanced way, the Principle Investigators had to be consulted and the teams in Israel had to be supported as best as possible in troubleshooting various experiments.
We would like to mention here our Human Factors team, which was present for the first time as an independent team in throughout the mission in the Flight Control and introduced standardized daily monitoring. The team monitored the psychological health of the field crew and the MSC team and was able to intervene and improve situational awareness and group communication for all teams on the mission.
Even though the AMADEE-20 Mars simulation in Israel ends today, the scientific work is far from over. On the contrary, it starts now. Now is the hour of data analysis, interpretation and then publication of the scientific data. The first results will be presented to the public at the AMADEE-20 Science Workshop, probably in April/May 2022.
It was again an incredibly inspiring experience to manage such a Mars simulation with all the voluntary, motivated, well-prepared, trained and dedicated team members. When people are on fire for something, they make a hell of a lot of difference with their passion!
„Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.“
Margaret Mead
Highlights of the last 4 weeks:
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