18 Day 18: February 28th 2013
It’s all about people. A successful mission MARS2013 comes to an end. We want to thank everyone involved: all the volunteers, our sponsors, our donors, the good people of Morocco – our wonderful host. We are one step closer to Mars! (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

17 Day 17: February 27th 2013
Where will we go? The journey ahead for mankind is uncertain. But just like our ancestors left their cave dwellings for a new world, we will keep moving as well, despite the risks and doubts of our travels. Curiosity and necessity will drive us to explore the Universe. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

16 Day 16: February 26th 2013
MARS2013 around the World. In order to travel around the solar system we need to travel around the world first. Here, MARS2013 volunteer Muhammad Shadab Khan gives a presentation about the simulation in Morocco to undergraduate students at Babu Banarasi Das National Institute of Technology and Management in India. Exposing students to new worlds and ideas is the best investment in the future of space exploration.
(c) OeWF

15 Day 15: February 25th 2013
A simple wheel helps exploring Mars. Almost 8000 years ago evidence of the wheel first appeared as a tool. Today, we use two wheels in a robot, as seen here in the CLIFFBOT experiment, to access difficult places on a foreign planet in order to investigate geological layers. We wonder: What will we use in 8000 years? (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

14 Day 14: February 24th, 2013
The other side seems far, but is it? Just as this crevasse seems to be a difficult obstacle to overcome for the analog astronaut – so is the distance between Earth and Mars. We have sent rovers there but for now sending humans to Mars seems an insurmountable obstacle. What will it take? Better rocket technology or sheer human determination to want to go to Mars? (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

13 Day 13: February 23rd, 2013
An analog astronaut in the Aouda.X suit crosses a dry salt lake near Station Payer. The surface features the distinctive cracked pattern of a desiccated lake. Satellite images from the Mars Global Surveyor and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show similar patterns in craters on the surface of Mars – possible evidence that liquid water once may have existed on the planet. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

12 Day 12: February 22nd, 2013
Clear night sky over camp „Weyprecht“. In comparison to many European cities there is hardly any light pollution in Morocco. To see the night sky in its pristine beauty and to conduct the observations for the “Globe at Night” campaign the big flood lights were turned off. The Milky Way is glowing in a rarely seen brilliance and also the Small Dipper is clearly visible. The Hungarian robot lander in the foreground is monitoring local weather and environmental parameters. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

11 Day 11: February 21st, 2013
Human-robotic interaction is a big topic and proof-of-concept theme during MARS2013. We need to test and improve on how we interact with and leverage the use of rovers and robotic devices on planetary missions. Here the analog astronaut follows the MAGMA rover equipped with the LIFE laser for detecting microbial life. The short answer: we need each other. The long answer: we need each other. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

10 Day 10: February 20th, 2013
The Red Planet. Mars gets its nickname from the oxidation of iron that happened over million of years and covers the planet in a layer of various depths. The analog astronaut is on his way to explore the area. What is down in the trough? What lies beyond the hills? Mankind wants answers. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux; False-colored OeWF)

9 Day 9: February 19th, 2013
Everything gets recorded. Conducting serious science requires meticulous note-taking and data capturing capabilities. In this “Picture of the Day”, we are showing you a snapshot of a map of all activities and experiments conducted in a 2×2 kilometer site. The desert has never been colored like this. (c) OeWF

8 Day 8: February 18th, 2013
A colorful and carefully designed plan: people, times, and experiments. Resources on Mars are precious hence the mission needs superb planning. The Flightplan team is the crucial link between the science teams and the flight controllers. They take inputs and requests from scientists and create a working schedule to allocate adequate time and proper resources to astronauts for a successful execution. (c) OeWF (Matthias Schmitt)

7 Day 7: February 17th, 2013
Begin of a new adventure. Luca Foresta (left) and Daniel Schildhammer (right) are two of three analog-astronauts for MARS2013. Luca departs together with three field crew members to the South heading for station “Payer”. 80 km south of Camp “Weyprecht” the four crew members will explore for three days the southern area. On board is also the Aouda.X Mars spacesuit simulator. The team in Morocco and Innsbruck faces a big challenge. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

6 Day 6 : February 16th, 2013
Mars explorers in a foreign world. Earth is abundant with places to discover as well and Morocco with its rich culture is no exception. The generous hospitality of our hosts included a customary tribal dance followed by the traditional Captain’s Dinner. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

5 Day 5 : February 15th, 2013
Guests of honor at the Mission Support Center: Flight Director Assistant Michael Taraba, Executive Director Johannes Ellmerer of the Red Cross Innsbruck and host of the Mission Support Center building; Flight Director Alexander Soucek and Counselor Kamal Arifi of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco (from left to right).

Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for European and International Affairs
of the Republic of Austria Dr. Michael Spindelegger and Governor of Tyrol Günther Platter delivered their greetings and best wishes to the MARS2013 team. Unfortunately, neither could attend the “landing day” due to scheduling conflicts. (c) OeWF (Paul Santek)

4 Day 4 : February 14th, 2013
The Aouda.X experimental spacesuit (foreground) is partially covered with luminescent Terbium microbeads. Subsequently, the analog astronaut collects samples from the environment. The native samples will be analyzed for those microbeads to determine the foreign contamination. This experiment was developed by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) of NASA and has the objective to determine the contamination paths and frequency of samples, in order to reduce this contamination issue for future Mars missions. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

3 Day 3 : February 13th, 2013
Homo Faber explores Mars. During an EVA (extra-vehicular activity) the analog astronaut in the Aouda.X experimental spacesuit uses a simple hammer to break up and retrieve a “Martian” rock for a geosciences experiment. (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

2 Day 2 : February 12th, 2013
Great surprise in the Mission Support Center in Innsbruck as well as for the field crew in Morocco. One hour before the simulation started, astronaut Chris Hadfield called from the International Space Station, to wish us good luck for the first EVA (Extra-Vehicular-Activity) on “Mars”. The whole team in Innsbruck and Morocco was thrilled. Thank you Chris Hadfield, we wish you also a successful mission.
(c) OeWF (Paul Santek)

1 Day 1 : February 11th, 2013
We landed successfully on “Mars” today! The analog astronaut Daniel Schildhammer in the Aouda.X suit said following first words at the start of the simulation: “It is a mistake to believe that a small group of dedicated people cannot change the world. In fact, it is the only way it always happened.” (c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

Read also:

• MARS2013 preparation week: all pictures of the day
• Learn more about the MARS2013 Mars simulation in Morocco

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