Astronauts to 'land' on 'Mars' in Oman on Feb. 8

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‍A crew of six analog astronauts from the Austrian Space Forum, or OeWF (ÖsterreichischesWeltraum Forum), are set to make a “landing” on a patch of desert in Oman’s Dhofar region on Feb. 8, as part of a month-long simulation exercise that is aimed at paving the way for future human Mars missions.

Following a training camp last week at the OeWF headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria, the crew for the Mars simulation mission titled AMADEE-18 arrived in Oman on Tuesday. The analog astronauts will spend nearly three weeks far away from any sign of civilization in the ‘Martian’ base camp set up in the Rub’ al Khali (literally the Empty Quarter) desert near the Omani hamlet of Marmul.

The crew will conduct a series of experiments in the fields of engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences, virtual reality and human factors.

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“Following the landing on Feb. 8, the crew will go into isolation. The mission support center in Earth (Austria) will communicate with Mars (Oman) with a 10-minute delay, mimicking the time-lag in signals between both the planets,” Monika Fischer, head of OeWF’s media team told CGTN Digital.

“The six analog astronauts in the field will take turns in using our two spacesuit simulators to emulate the mission on the Red Planet,” she said, adding: “Our goal is to contribute to the biggest adventure of mankind.”

Experiments: Spacesuit, rovers and water

Researchers from more than 20 different nations will be conducting experiments during AMADEE-18 exercise in their quest for life on the Red Planet. These would include simulations of the new Aouda spacesuit, testing a range of Mars rovers, new water detection systems and even a new portable greenhouse to grow food in space.

“The purpose of a Mars simulation on Earth is to prepare for future crewed missions on the Red Planet. To perform the experiments, the OeWF is one of the five research groups worldwide to develop the prototype spacesuit Aouda, which will be worn by the analog astronauts during the simulation,” Dr Gernot Grömer, OeWF president and the field commander for AMADEE-18 mission said.

The crew appeared upbeat as they described their expectations from the mission in a series of videos released by OeFW in the run up to their isolation camping in the Omani desert.

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“With an exquisite array of over a dozen experiments, AMADEE-18 will provide an unprecedented level of scientific return for the community,” said Kartik Kumar, one of the six analog astronauts for the mission. “Being in Oman gives us the opportunity to test some of the key workflows that will make a journey to Mars a success, and ultimately, this brings us one step closer to the most important endeavor of our generation: setting foot on the Red Planet,” the Dutch-Indian astronaut added.

Joao Lousada, an analog astronaut from Portugal, is also excited about the scientific experiments. “…And these range from astrobiology to geology, so we will be testing all the experiments that we will run on Mars,” he said.

German analog astronaut Dr. Carmen Köhler is looking forward to collecting valuable data en route to exploring new worlds. “The realistic Martian environment will help us maintain scientific integrity, and high-fidelity scientific research will bring us closer to Mars, and that is where we want to go,” she said.

“The desert landscapes from Mars and Oman are very similar. This will make our mission particularly realistic. I’m curious to see what kind of effect these conditions will have on me in the space suit simulator,” said Austrian analog astronaut Dr Stefan Dobrovolny.

'Oman, a superb surrogate for mimicking Mars'

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The Rub’ al Khali desert of Oman was selected over Israel’s Negev desert as the final site for the mission after OeWF teams surveyed both regions last year. Describing the “magnificent desert of Oman” as superb surrogate for mimicking exploration on the surface of the Red Planet, Grömer said: “The stunning similarity to Mars makes it the perfect site for our mission.”

The mission has generated huge enthusiasm in Oman, with students from the Gulf sultanate leading the experiment on water exploration as part of AMADEE-18.

“The Sultanate of Oman is proud to be selected as the host country for this mission. This project will open up a host of opportunities for those who have a passion for space, to develop an active and independent networking space association with a broad range of activities and experiences. It will enable them to connect with a global network of space scientists,” said Dr. Al Khattab Ghalib al Hinai, vice chairman of Oman’s State Council and chairman of the National Steering Committee for AMADEE-18.

“Oman has not only provided a site for the mission, but also set up a camp that perfectly matches our needs. Our Omani partners will also take care of transportation for our crew and equipment to and from the base camp. They have also been a highly valuable partner during our preparations and scouting tours in the desert,” Fischer said.

“AMADEE-18 is our biggest mission so far and would not be possible to conduct at this magnitude without the most appreciated support of our Omani partners,” she added.

The OeWF official said that one of the objectives of such simulations is to boost public interest in space exploration and thus inspire young people to seek education and employment in sciences, engineering and spaceflight.

'First human to walk on Mars is already born'

Analog astronauts in OeWF's Aouda.X and Aouda.S spacesuits during the MARS2013 field simulation in the Northern Sahar near Erfoud, Morocco, in February 2013. /Photo courtesy: OeWF

The design of the AMADEE-18 has advanced since OeWF conducted its first Mars simulation mission AMADEE-15 in August 2015, according to Fischer. The previous mission was carried out for two weeks on a rock glacier in Kaunertal, Austria.

“For AMADEE-18, we have developed a modus operandi where we will conduct so-called exploration cascades, meaning we will choose a site to investigate and then ‘zoom in’,” she said.

“Firstly we will send a drone for reconnaissance from above, then a rover for a rough mapping and exploring of the terrain and then the analog astronaut to take samples for instance. Each cascade takes three days to be completed,” she elaborated.

The findings of each cascade will be relayed to the respective research institutions and teams who are not on site but at their home institution. “They will evaluate the data and frame suggestions as to which site to explore next. Based on the feedback our flight plan team will come up with a detailed schedule for the experiments. The collected data will then again be fed into the loop,” Fischer said.

Stressing that a well-structured feedback loop and process oriented mission planning is quite new regarding mars simulations, the OeFW official hoped that the new approach will offer “valuable insights [into] whether the application of exploration cascades is the way to do it and which features can be enhanced.”

The initial findings of the experiments carried out during the simulation will be made public in a post-mission conference, while the data and studies will be evaluated in depth by the respective research teams in the months to come. These will then be published in scientific papers, the OeWF informed.

While Fischer declined to speculate on how many more such simulations will be needed before manned missions to Mars become a reality, she expressed hope that man could set foot on the Red Planet within the next two decades.

“There are still so many questions to be answered and challenges to be mastered. We think that at least another 20 years of planning, technical development and of course also simulating will go by until we can finally set foot on the Red Planet,” she said.

An optimistic Grömer agreed with that assessment. “We don’t know who will be the first people to take the first step on Mars, [but] we just believe that the very first human to walk on Mars is already born,” he asserted.

[Cover photo courtesy: OeWF/Vanessa Weingartner]

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