The PolAres research programme includes a series of stratospheric balloons, simulated spacesuits and a rover to be tested in the High Arctic in 2011/2012. The science focus is planetary protection.

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Welcome to PolAres Programme

...a Mars analogue research programme for human-robotic exploration missions.

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Scout

The first component of the programme prepares a geographical assessment of plausible regions for analogue science in Europe and the neighbouring Arctic (Greenland, Iceland and Siberia). A special task force shall pursue location scouting with the help of Earth observation imagery and in-situ data as well as other relevant information. The initial step of the scouting component features the establishment of an extensive requirements catalogue for Mars- analogue landscapes. The classification shall follow terrain properties (composition of soil and rock, soil moisture, surface texture, vegetation cover, terrain inclination and exposition), atmospheric and meteorological parameters (temperature, precipitation, moisture content of the atmosphere, evaporation, wind, sunshine duration) and other biological, topographical or logistical features (available transport logistics and infrastructure, special formations, communication).

After a multilevel selection procedure, two to three locations especially suitable to the PolAres programme shall be selected and assessed by a scouting team on-site.

Output of the remote sensing component shall be a list of European and Arctic analogue sites considering various requirement profiles for martian landscapes. This publication is independent from the succeeding components and forms in itself a valuable product at the service of future analogue science.

PolAres Schedule Update

30. November 2010: Suit Core Completion
Core complete - Aouda's hardware will be frozen at this point to allow a development of a small series. However, minor adjustments to the OBDH are still possible, mainly at the software side.


Become involved!

Photo: view into the Aouda spacesuit lab with working PolAres volunteers

This could be your chance to get involved in frontline space research!

We are looking for volunteers for the PolAres Programme!

Learn more