Raphael Thys
A group of “analog astronauts” will spend four weeks on a simulated version of Mars to prepare for the challenging environment on the Red Planet.
The mission, hosted by the Israel Space Agency, will take place in the Negev desert, and will be managed by ‘Mission Control’ at the Austrian Space Forum with a 10-minute delay to simulate the time difference between Mars and Earth.
They will be placed in a habitat similar to the design astronauts will use on future missions to Mars. Geologically, the composition of the Negev Desert is very similar to that of Mars, making it an ideal setting for testing practices, the researchers say.
“This is our first mission where our analog astronauts will live and work completely independent in their habitat for three weeks. A small on-site support team is available for technical problems and maintenance,” said Dr. Gernot Grömer, director of the Austrian Space Forum. but will not be allowed to interact with analog astronauts.
The simulation, known as AMADEE-20, will see five men and one woman wearing “detailed space suit prototypes” as they step outside or drive the rover.
The 45kg suit simulates wearing a pressurized suit, as it hinders movement and is equipped with medical telemetry – scientists are looking for weak points in the system so that real missions can go smoothly.
“This method makes it easier to understand the advantages, but also the limitations of future astronaut missions to alien planets. It also helps to develop so-called “remote science operations.” These scientific procedures that do not take place at the test site, They are designed to support analog astronauts in researching terrestrial Mars analog environments as efficiently as possible,” Dr Gromer also said.
The isolation phase is starting from today and will continue till October 31. The team will test it in relation to human behavioral techniques – such as mindfulness – to help them cope with long-term isolation, as well as 3D printing techniques and other geological techniques for life-detection, aerospace-quality plastics. To develop
Credit: www.independent.co.uk /