The OeWF has selected 19 experiments from international and domestic submissions to be part of the Mars analog mission in Oman. AMADEE-18 will take place in February of 2018 in partnership with the Oman steering committee. The experiments selected are in the fields of geosciences, engineering, planetary surface operations, life sciences including astrobiology and human factors.<\/p>\n
AMADEE-18 is a simulation mission that will be conducted by the Austrian Space Forum in partnership with the Sultanate of Oman. The four-week mission will take place in the Oman desert during February 2018 and will serve as an analog mission for future crewed missions to the planet Mars. The submissions received were from a multitude of different nations and varied from educational institutions such as Western University in Australia to space agencies such as the Italian Space Agency. The selected experiments are to be tested in the field during the mission. The selection process consisted of an intensive peer review session within the Austrian Space Forum and marks the first step in preparations for the mission.<\/p>\n
“We are very proud to announce that we have received a great number of innovative, cutting-edge experiment submissions to be carried out aboard our 13th analog mission in the Oman desert. I personally believe, that many of the experiments selected belong to some of the strongest mission experiments we have seen yet”,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
stresses Dr. Gernot Gr\u00f6mer, President of the Austrian Space Forum and Mission Field Commander and continues;<\/p>\n
“as seen in earlier missions we are also prepared to deal with changes of this reference selection that might occur during pre-mission qualifications. However we consider this list a very good representation of the science that will take place during AMADEE-18.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The following experiments have been chosen to be brought aboard the Mars analog mission and to be tested in the fiel:<\/p>\n
Biology and Medical Sciences <\/h4>\nHortExtreme, Italian Space Agency, Italy<\/strong>
\nMobile and inflatable green house with hydroponics, to be used for the cultivation of microgreens.<\/p>\nMarSeq, University of Innsbruck, Austria<\/strong>
\nDNA-sequencing supported by rovers<\/p>\nFATIGUE, Medical University of Vienna, Department of Anaesthesia, Austria
\n<\/strong>Analysing physical and mental fatigue of Analog Astronauts during AMADEE-18<\/p>\nHuman Factors<\/h4>\nTEAM, Western University, Department Of Psychology & Mission Control Space Services, Canada<\/strong>
\nStudy on the level and fluctuation, over time, of team cohesion, conflict and performance and determination of
\n“person” factors (e.g. personality)<\/p>\nCHRONOS, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland<\/strong>
\nInvestigating if time of day has an impact on efficiency of the functioning of working memory and the effectiveness of actions in specific conditions<\/p>\nSIT-AS, University of Witten\/Herdecke, Germany<\/strong>
\nExamination of the situational awareness in and between co-working<\/p>\nMIMIC, TU Graz, Signal Processing and Speech Communication Laboratory, Austria<\/strong>
\nA computerized analysis of verbal communication to study the mechanisms of psychological and physiological adaptation or maladaptation in extreme or stressful environments.<\/p>\nMSTAT, Ben Gurion University, Earth and Planetary Imaging Facility (EPIF), Israel<\/strong>
\nThe situational awareness training aims to simulate two separated groups of astronauts on Mars<\/p>\nHardware<\/h4>\nWARTOG, Final Frontier Design, USA<\/strong>
\nInvestigation of the abrasion of final frontier’s space suit glove outer layer<\/p>\nSoftware<\/h4>\nTHESEOS, Mission Control Space Services, Canada<\/strong>
\nDeployment of the Autonomous Soil Assessment System (ASAS) on a tele- operated planetary rover prototype<\/p>\nVirtual Reality: <\/h4>\nV(R)ITAGO, Mars Planet, Italy<\/strong>
\nVirtual Reality tool for astronaut training and to aid the RSS (Remote Science Support) team in analyzinggeological features.<\/p>\nRobotics<\/h4>\nHusky Autonomous Rover, TU Graz, Institute of Software Technology, Austria<\/strong>
\nAn autonomous rover that supports astronauts and aids in area mapping<\/p>\nAVI-NAV, nstitute of Smart System Technology, Alpe-Adria Univ. Klagenfurt, Austria<\/strong>
\nDrone with vertical take-off and landing capabilities for efficient area exploration and low latency visual feedback
\nto the crew or\/and ground personnel<\/p>\nGeosciences<\/h4>\nScanMars, University of Perugia, Department of Physics and Geology, Italien<\/strong>
\nSubsurface Characterization of a Martian Analog through 2D\/3D Ground Penetrating Radar datasets<\/p>\nField Spectrometry, Italian Space Agency (ASI\/URS), Italy<\/strong>
\nAcquisition of reflectance and radiance spectra in an environment analogous to Mars<\/p>\nJunior Researchers Program<\/h4>\nWater Explorer, Highschool student, Oman<\/strong>
\nWater detection via a geophone mounted on a rover, which measures thereflection of ultrasound waves<\/p>\nTumbleWeed, Sir Karl Popper school, Vienna, Austria<\/strong>
\nA wind propelled compact rover to be used for efficient Mars exploration<\/p>\nA3DPT Mars, TU Graz, Austria<\/strong>
\n3D printing operational workflow experiments for crewed Mars expeditions<\/p>\nEOS, HTL Eisenstadt, \u00d6sterreich<\/strong>
\nRadio Navigation System for EVAs on GPS- less planet<\/p>\n\u00a0WHAT ARE MARS ANALOG MISSIONS?<\/h4>\n
To prepare for future crewed missions on Mars, the Austrian Space Forum organizes Mars simulations on Earth. In 2015, the Austrian Space Forum and international partners conducted its 11thanalogue mission AMADEE-15- a two-week Mars simulation mission on a rock glacier in the Kaunertal,\u00a0 Austria that resembles Martian terrain. Communication between the Mission Support Center and the field crew was time-delayed to emulate the conditions of a Mars expedition. The Analog-Astronauts performed crucial experiments in the fields of geology, astrobiology and engineering, thus gathering valuable data for future missions on Mars. Dr. Gernot Gr\u00f6mer, President of the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), emphasizes the importance of Mars Analogue Missions: \u201cThrough testing equipment, software, procedures and workflows that will be implemented in future human missions to Mars we try to find out what is not yet working, what needs to be redesigned, rethought. After all, it\u2019s better to find the flaw in Mars-equipment here on Earth rather than on Mars where spare parts are a 6-monthsjourney away at best.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Austrian Space Forum\u2019s missions draw considerable media and social media attention across the globe. More than one million people followed the last mission and got a closer look at the cutting edge of research in Austria.<\/p>\n
AUSTRIAN SPACE FORUM (OEWF) IS ONE OF 5 GROUPS WORLDWIDE TO DEVELOP A MARS-SUIT-PROTOTYPE<\/h4>\n
To perform the experiments, the OeWF\u2019s Analog-Astronauts wear the 45kg prototype spacesuit \u201cAouda\u201d with an incorporated interface to assist the astronaut. The spacesuit is designed to deliver the astronaut\u2019s vital data and mimic the restrictions of a spacesuit that will be worn by astronauts on Mars. Aouda provides movement restrictions, limited sensory input as well as the weight and an uncomfortably high centre of gravity typical of a pressure suit worn in space. Thus it enables the Austrian Space Forum\u2019s Analog-Astronauts to test equipment, workflows and experiments meant for the Red Planet under Mars-like conditions. By developing the spacesuit simulator the Austrian Space Forum also aims to optimize interactions with other (robotic) components – such as a rover – and minimize the risk of human contamination.<\/p>\n
\u00a0ABOUT THE AUSTRIAN SPACE FORUM (OEWF)<\/h4>\n
The Austrian Space Forum (\u00d6sterreichischesWeltraum Forum, OeWF) is a national network for aerospace engineers, scientists and people with a passion for space. This citizen-science organization is involved in leading-edge space exploration research and serves as a communication platform between the space sector and the public; it is embedded in a global network of specialists from the space industry, research and policy.
\nAMADEE-18 is the OeWF\u2019s 12th analog Mars mission conducted in cooperation with international partners.\u00a0 www.oewf.org<\/p>\n