{"id":18171,"date":"2020-03-12T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oewf.org\/?p=18171"},"modified":"2020-04-28T13:11:13","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T11:11:13","slug":"international-crew-for-mars-analog-mission-selected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oewf.org\/en\/2020\/03\/international-crew-for-mars-analog-mission-selected\/","title":{"rendered":"International Crew for Mars-Analog-Mission selected"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Austrian Space Forum will send six Analog Astronauts to Israel in October 2020<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today the Austrian Spaoday the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) announced the names of those six analog astronauts who will emulate a human Mars mission in Israel from mid-October to mid-November 2020. \u201cAMADEE-20\u201d is the OeWF\u2019s 13th<\/sup> Mars analog mission. The selected analog astronauts are highly qualified experts who were trained by the Austrian Space Forum. Commander of this international crew will be aerospace engineer Jo\u00e3o Lousada from Portugal, an experienced analog astronaut who already participated in two previous Mars analog missions in Austria (2015) and Oman (2018).<\/strong>ce Forum (OeWF) announced the names of those six analog astronauts who will emulate a human Mars mission in Israel from mid-October to mid-November 2020. \u201cAMADEE-20\u201d is the OeWF\u2019s 13th<\/sup> Mars analog mission. The selected analog astronauts are highly qualified experts who were trained by the Austrian Space Forum. Commander of this international crew will be aerospace engineer Joao Lousada from Portugal, an experienced analog astronaut who already participated in two previous Mars analog missions in Austria (2015) and Oman (2018). <\/strong>
Joao Lousada:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201d <\/strong>After serving as deputy commander during our AMADEE-18 mission in Oman I\u2019m very proud and grateful to take the lead this year, in Israel. My crew and I will have the outstanding opportunity to work in a geological setting similar to Mars, testing cutting-edge technology and experiments that we might one day use on the planet\u2019s surface<\/em>. I’m also happy to have a custom-built habitat developed by our Israeli partners according to the specifications\u00a0of AMADEE-20. Although performing a human Mars analog mission of this magnitude presents many challenges I\u2019m confident that together with my skilled team and in cooperation with our Israeli partners we will accomplish a successful mission, leading to a better understanding of the challenges of Mars and getting one step closer to Mars<\/em>.\u201d<\/em> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Avi Blasberger, ISA’s Director:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201d Our cooperation with the Austrian Space Forum and hosting AMADEE-20 in Israel is in line with our policy to support science, to be part of the international efforts for human exploration and to further our outreach and educational program. We are proud to be part of it and will invest all the required efforts to ensure its success.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

List of selected crew members:<\/strong>
For more detailed CVs see below<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joao Lousada, Portugal, <\/strong>ISS Columbus Operation Systems Engineer, certified parachutist and rescue diver
Anika Mehlis, Germany, <\/strong>Microbiology, Engineering for Environmental Technology and Recycling, open water diver
Inigo Munoz-Elorza, Spain, <\/strong>Training Manager at the Galileo Control Centre, certified skydiver, paraglider pilot, and diver
Alon Tenzer, Israel, <\/strong>Mathematics, Computer Science and Aviation Science
Thomas Wijnen, The Netherlands, <\/strong>Mathematics and Physics & Astronomy, scuba diving and parachute license
Robert Wild, Austria, <\/strong>Physics, Wilderness First Responder, Advanced Open Water Diver<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Austrian Space Forum chose these experts\nfrom its pool of 13 international analog astronauts. Currently the Austrian\nSpace Forum is the only organization worldwide to conduct this challenging and\nhighly specialized training.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The selected crew will now start their mission specific training for <\/strong>AMADEE-20 and will in October simulate a human Mars mission in the Negev desert in Israel. To do so the OeWF\u2019s analog astronauts will work in isolation, supported by the OeWF\u2019s Mission Support Center in Innsbruck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Gernot Gr\u00f6mer, director of the Austrian Space Forum stresses the international character of the upcoming mission:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“ 80 scientists from 12 countries have developed equipment, procedures and experiments that will be tested by our analog astronauts during their 4-week stay in Israel. Participating institutions come from France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the USA and Austria<\/em>“<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

AMADEE-20 will be managed by the OeWF and hosted by\nthe Israeli Space Agency in cooperation with D-Mars, taking place from\nmid-October to mid-November 2020 in the Negev Desert, Israel.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Analog Research?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnalog research is designed to test concepts,\nworking procedures and equipment to find the weak spots so the actual mission\ncan be realized as safely as possible<\/em>,\u201d says Dr. Gernot Gr\u00f6mer,\nAdministrative Director of the Austrian Space Forum and continues,\u201c the\npurpose of simulating a Mars-mission on Earth is to prepare for future crewed\nmissions on the Red Planet. To perform the experiments, the OeWF is one of only\nfive research groups worldwide that has developed a prototype spacesuit which\nis worn by the OeWF\u2019s analog astronauts during their mission.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an Analog Astronaut?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Austrian Space Forum\u2019s analog astronauts are\ncarefully selected experts who are trained to execute most of the science field\nactivities while wearing the OeWF\u00b4s spacesuit prototype. They also act as a\npublic face and represent the mission as STEM-ambassadors for media and\neducational activities. Analog astronauts conduct spaceflight-simulations in\nMars-like regions on earth as well as test and evaluate workflows and human\nfactors pertinent to human Mars exploration. Their training includes\nplanetology, geology, astrobiology, media training, stress management,\nemergency care, fitness and above all operating the spacesuit prototype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OeWF is one of only five institutions worldwide which has so far developed such a prototype. It emulates the restrictions of an actual planetary surface spacesuit, like weight, resistance or limited sensory input, whilst protecting the analog astronaut from the environment and keeping him\/her alive. An elaborate human-machine interface, including a sensor network and specifically developed software assist the analog astronaut during planetary surface operations. The 45kg heavy prototype has been developed to optimize interactions with other (robotic) components, like a rover, and minimize the risk of human contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>

Jo\u00e3o Lousada, MSc<\/h4>

Analog Astronaut since 2015<\/p><\/div>