Livestream on March 12th

AMADEE-24, the 14th Mars Analog Mission of the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) conducted in cooperation with the Armenian Space Agency, will start on March 12, 2024. The very valuable and mostly unique mission equipment has already arrived at the test site near Armash, Armenia. Six analog astronauts – two women, four men from Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain will work in isolation from March 12 to April 5, 2024 to prepare future astronautical Mars missions. Over 200 scientists from 26 countries are involved in this international endeavoring.

Livestream of Mission-Start
March 12, 13.30 to 14.15 CET

The Austrian Space Forum will broadcast the last hour before the mission start live from the test site in Armenia and the Mission Support Center in Vienna, Austria. Scientists and mission members will shed more light on the goals and purpose of analog research and the special features of AMADEE-24. The highlight of the live broadcast will be the start of the mission, when the analog astronauts enter their habitat and close the door.
 
Director Gernot Grömer, who leads the mission: “From this moment on, the isolation protocol applies. Our crew of analog astronauts is then only allowed to leave the habitat through the airlock wearing the Mars suit prototype that the OeWF developed. In the coming weeks, our highly trained analog astronauts will test equipment and procedures and conduct experiments, paving the way for future astronautical missions to Mars. These representative simulations will increase the acquisition of scientific knowledge, optimize the safety of the processes used and promote technology transfer.”
Livestream on Youtube

Researching in Isolation

The six analog astronauts will live and work in a habitat specially designed for them. They will only leave the habitat wearing the OeWF’s Mars suit prototype. For the duration of the mission communication with the Mission Support Center in Vienna, Austria will only be possible with a 10-minute delay in order to simulate the distance from Earth to Mars. Conducting the experiments in the areas of human factors, robotics and geology, the analog astronauts will use a drone and robotic vehicles – so-called rovers – to explore and map their environment, take soil samples and transport heavy loads. During the mission, the analog astronauts will be cut off from the outside world and will thus have to rely solely on their team to complete their tasks and solve emerging problems. They will be supported on site by a team of specialists who will ensure the safety of the crew and take on any necessary repair work without directly interacting with the analog astronauts.

About the Mars Analog Mission AMADEE-24
A six-person team of analog astronauts will spend four weeks testing equipment and procedures designed to detect traces of life and to shed light on the psychological effects of four busy weeks under time pressure and in isolation.
The analog astronauts: Crew Commander Anika Mehlis from Germany, Deputy Commander Robert Wild from Austria, Carmen Köhler from Germany, Iñigo Muñoz Elorza from Spain, Simone Paternostro from Italy and Thomas Wijnen from the Netherlands.
More about AMADEE-24 Mission

Mars Suit Prototype – a Spaceship to wear
During their missions outside the habitat, the analog astronauts will wear the OeWF’s Mars suit prototype. The OeWF is one of five institutions worldwide that has developed such a Mars suit prototype. This highly complex construction can reflect all the main limitations of a real Mars spacesuit, such as weight, pressure counterforces or limited perception capabilities. A sophisticated human-machine interface, a system of sensors and self-developed software turn the suit into a reliable assistant to the astronaut.
 
Tests will be carried out in the areas of natural sciences, engineering, biomedicine and psychology.
Link to Experiment-Videos on Youtube

Mission Support Center in Vienna, Austria
This is the backbone of the mission. An international support team of technical, scientific and medical personnel ensures the safe and smooth running of the mission and communicates with the analog astronauts in Armenia with a 10-minute delay. This corresponds to the average signal transit time between Earth and Mars.​

• In the Mission Support Center (MSC), a detailed schedule, the so-called flight plan, is created for the analog astronauts and the supporting team on site.
• A specially trained science team supports the analog astronauts in carrying out the experiments and using the drone and the robotic vehicles.
• Medical staff monitor the vital signs of the analog astronauts during their missions in the Mars suit prototype.
• The data collected in the field is saved here and forwarded to the participating researchers all over the world.

ABOUT THE AUSTRIAN SPACE FORUM
The Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) is a private space research institution and a network for spaceflight specialists, business/industry and people interested in space. We conduct Mars Analog Missions on a regular bases, involving scientists and institutions from all over the world. The OeWF is playing a leading role in two international Cube-Sat missions that have been detecting space debris in Near Earth Orbit since 2022. We cooperate with international research institutions and companies and are in constant dialog with the media and decision makers. With 250 members from 20+ nations, the Austrian Space Forum focuses on scientific excellence, starts, shapes and networks careers and has been inspiring people all over the world since 1998. https://oewf.org

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

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