By 
February 2nd, 2018
Credit: OeWF
A highly international analog field simulation is in “green for go” mode, prepared to mimic a Red Planet expedition.
The site: In the Arabian desert Dhofar region, Oman.
Four-week simulation
AMADEE-18 is a Mars simulation mission led by the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) in partnership with the Oman National Steering Committee and international research organizations. The effort involves 25 nations.
Credit: OeWF
The actual field mission will take place during four weeks this month.
A small field crew will conduct experiments preparing for future human Mars missions in the fields of engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences and other disciplines. The undertaking offers an opportunity to study equipment, procedures and workflows under Mars analog conditions with humans-in-the-loop.
Credit: OeWF
Desert location
The deserts of Dhofar, the largest governorate — an administrative division of a country — in the Sultanate of Oman, have a resemblance to various Mars surface features, such as sedimentary structures dating back to the Paleocene and Eocene, salt domes of the South Oman Salt Basin and ancient river beds. The test site offers a wide range of sand and rocky surfaces combined with a broad variability in inclination.
The nearest major city is Salalah, expected temperatures at the test site this month typically range between 16-27°C with less than 10 mm of precipitation.
Credit: OeWF/Paul Santek
Mission control
The mission support center, based in Innsbruck, Austria, will be linked to base operations in Oman, but a 10-minute delay is enforced to simulate the time-lag in signals between Earth and the Red Planet.
The OeWF’s Analog Astronauts are: Stefan Dobrovolny, Austria; Carmen Köhler, Germany; Kartik Kumar, The Netherlands; João Lousada, Portugal; and Iñigo Muñoz Elorza, Spain.
For more information on this impressive analog Mars mission, go to:
Check out this informative video focused on AMADEE-18 at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=55&v=CQ6L9JAxmKk
Posted in Space News
