Announcement of Opportunity for the Rio Tinto Field Test in April 2011
6. Jan. 2011
Between 15.- 25. April 2011, the Austrian Space Forum and partnering institutions will conduct a set of field tests in the Spanish Rio Tinto area. The work will focus on the Aouda.X spacesuit simulator and astrobiology experiments w.r.t. the contamination vector analysis as well as the Phileas rover prototype. Geophysical investigations and operational tests bringing together the field team and its operations team-on-site (OPS), a dedicated Mission Control Center (MCC) as well as Remote Science Support (RSS) teams will complement this field mission.
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06.01.2011
06.01.2011
We are currently solicitating proposals for scientific instruments, experiments and technical tests utilizing the spacesuit simulator Aouda.X and geophysical exploration equipment. Submissions must reach the Austrian Space Forum before the 25th of January 2011.
The timeline is as follows:
- Submission Deadline for this AO: 25. Jan. 2011, 12:00 UT
- Selection of Experiments: Early Feb 2011
- Delivery of hardware to ÖWF Innsbruck: until 25. Mar. 2011
- Final integrated rehearsal: 01 - 03 Apr. 2011
- Simulation phase @ Rio Tinto: 18-22. Apr. 2011 (plus 2,5 days of transfer)
- Return of hardware: 26. Apr. 2011 onwards
If you require more detailed information, please contact us at gernotgroemeroewforg so that we can send you the detailed expedition outline.
More information
PolAres Schedule Update
Between 01 - 28. February 2013, the Austrian Space Forum will conduct an integrated Mars analog field simulation in the northern Sahara near Erfoud, Morocco. Directed by a Mission Support Center in Austria, a small field crew will conduct experiments preparing for future human Mars missions mainly in the fields of engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences and other.
This field mission is supported by the Ibn-Battuta-Center at the University of Marrakesh, Morocco. The Austrian Space Forum now solicitates proposals to be reviewed by a selection panel. The deadline for submissions is 15. June 2012, the announcement of the successful experiments will be released on 15. July 2012.
Detail
The analysis of Mars analogue environments on Earth is of paramount importance for the interpretation of the data from past, present and future orbital and landed missions, as well as mission planning (both robotic and human). Sedimentary environments in particular attract strong interest because they can retain the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental history of the planet and under the right conditions may harbour fossil or present life signatures.
Date: 25. - 27. October 2012
Location: Conference Centre of the Hotel Meridien N'Fis at Marrakech, Morocco Organization: European Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, International Association of Sedimentologits, Ibn Battuta Centre, IRSPS, Universite Cadi Ayyad.
Between 01 - 28. February 2013, the Austrian Space Forum will conduct an integrated Mars analog field simulation in the northern Sahara near Erfoud, Morocco. Directed by a Mission Support Center in Austria, a small field crew will conduct experiments preparing for future human Mars missions mainly in the fields of engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences and other.
