Israeli President Izchak Herzog receives Analog Astronauts

The Austrian Space Forum’s (OeWF) 13^th Mars analog mission AMADEE-20 ended a few days ago. Over 200 researchers from 25 countries were involved. Marking the successful conclusion of the mission Israeli President Izchak Herzog received two analog astronauts to gain deeper insight into the Mars simulation. As part of the mission analysis with the Israeli space agency, bilateral follow-up cooperations were discussed.

Excellent Preparation for three Weeks of Isolation

During the simulation in the Israeli Negev desert, the six analog astronauts lived and worked completely isolated from the environment.

Alon Tenzer, Israeli analog astronaut: “In the isolation phase, the work intensity was definitely pushed to the limits of what is possible. Furthermore, the six of us had to live and work in the confined space of the mission habitat. The fact that the team of analog astronauts worked so well together and that we made it through three weeks of isolation in good mental health is mainly due to the excellent preparation of the mission and the professional selection process of the analog astronauts by the OeWF. The team was put together perfectly.”

The mission also saw the successful testing of the exploration cascade. Developed by the OeWF this method of investigating unknown terrain works by first using drones, then robots to explore the test site before finally sending out analog astronauts to gather soil samples and other information.

The data obtained from the experiments will be evaluated in the coming months by the participating research institutions from Austria, Germany, France, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the USA and the United Kingdom. Results will be published in science journals.

Worldwide Attention

Media from all over the world reported on the mission of the OeWF, which thus reached an audience of millions.

Media from all over the world reported on the mission of the OeWF, which thus reached an audience of millions. Beyond the space industry, the President of Israel and international decision-makers from politics and business paid tribute to the scientific work of the OeWF.

Above all the Director General of the European Space Organization ESA, Josef Aschbacher.

Dr. Gernot Grömer, Director of the Austrian Space Forum: “AMADEE-20 has brought us a little closer to the Red Planet. I can already say that the exploration cascade is a success and that we will definitely continue to develop this expedition method.” For Grömer, in addition to the scientific work, the international interest in this analog mission is noteworthy: “200 researchers from 25 countries took part, our analog astronauts come from six different countries. Through our public relations, we reach millions of people and thus establish the brand “Austria” worldwide. Not only do we show that Austria has a fixed place in space research. Our country is also becoming more and more interesting for the international R&D industry and investors. We stress Austria’s position as a high-tech location and create perspectives!”

Pictures of the ongoing mission can be downloaded here. Use free of charge is allowed in combination with stories concerning the OeWF and when credit is given.
https://hive.oewf.org/cloud/index.php/s/nyoCq6M9BbJcPWn

About the Austrian Space Forum
The Austrian Space Forum is one of the world’s leading institutions conducting Mars analog missions, thus paving the way for the future human exploration of the Red Planet. Experts from a broad variety of disciplines as well as the spaceflight sector constitute the core of the OeWF’s continued endeavors that on a regular basis include national and international institutions from science and industry to work at the cutting edge of scientific research. On doing so the Austrian Space Forum is using its excellent contacts to opinion leaders, politics and media to further and internationally propagate Austrian top-level research. The Austrian Space Forum also contributes significantly to inspiring and educating young people in the sectors of science, technology and engineering. The OeWF offers internships to students and pupils, its experts supervise scientific papers on a regular basis. www.oewf.org www.oewf.org

Media contact:
Mag. Monika Fischer
Media Officer
Austrian Space Forum
Tel: +43 699 1213 4610

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