NZWeek
Source:Xinhua By Daisey Stodola
VIENNA, Dec. 11 — A one-month Mars simulation is planned to be carried out in the Moroccan desert in February 2013, the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) said in Innsbruck Tuesday.
The mission will be the largest, most elaborate Mars simulation of the year with 17 experiments to be carried out, the OeWF board said, adding that they were collaborating with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
OeWF CEO Gernot Groemer said the simulation known as “MARS 2013″ would be controlled from Innsbruck in western Austria, and would involve among other things the testing of two space suits and four Mars rovers.
“The Mars analog field test will contribute to the preparations for a manned expedition to Mars in 20 to 30 years,” said Groemer, according to an APA report.
Three “astronauts” will carry out tasks in the space suits as they later would on a Mars mission, such as taking rock samples.
Medical data will also be collected during the simulation, which will be added to a database being created by the Innsbruck Medical University to be used in future for emergency medical missions on Mars.
“We will measure the environmental conditions in the suits and measure amongst other things the blood pressure and ECG (electrocardiogram) of the astronauts,” said Thomas Luger of the Innsbruck Medical University.
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