This year, the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2025 in Vienna brought together over 20,000 researchers, professionals, and science communicators from around the world. I had the great pleasure of representing the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) and presented my poster titled “The GEOS24 Experiment onboard AMADEE-24: A Crewed Simulated Mission to Mars”.

The poster was part of the session “Geologic Mapping in Challenging Environments: From Ocean Floors to Outer Space,” which brought together a fascinating mix of terrestrial and planetary geoscientists. It was an inspiring platform to explore how geological mapping techniques are adapted to extreme and remote environments — from the deep sea to terrestrial planets in our solar system.

The poster showcased the GEOS24 geological experiment, which was conducted during AMADEE-24, a Mars analog mission led by OeWF and carried out in Armenia in 2024. This simulation served as a testbed for future crewed missions to Mars, combining science, engineering, and operations under Mars-like conditions. My work focused on the geological component of the mission. Particularly how field investigations can be planned and then be performed by analog astronauts in spacesuits, using real-time support from the remote science team. We explored how geological mapping and sampling can be adapted to planetary environments, and how training, decision-making, and timing affect mission success. The goal was to assess how scientific workflows can be optimized in constrained, planetary conditions and how we can maximize the scientific return of future Mars missions through careful planning and training.

I was genuinely thrilled by the interest and engagement the poster received. Many attendees from diverse backgrounds stopped by to ask questions, exchange ideas, and discuss the broader implications of analog research in planetary science. It was incredibly motivating to see how much curiosity and support there is for analog exploration and the future of human spaceflight.

Representing the OeWF at such a large-scale scientific event was a meaningful experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the GEOS24 experiment with the international geoscience community.

Author: Selina Schindler, OeWF RSS Team