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Public presentation of the spacesuit „Aouda“

16. March 2009

Monday, 16th of March 2009, the Aouda Critical Design Review II took place in the University of Innsbruck. Aouda is part of the PolAres programme and is developed in cooperation between the University of Innsbruck and four Tyrolean high schools.

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„Aouda“ is not a real spacesuit, which can be used in space or on the Martian surface. It is a so called “Analogue-Space Suit”. It helps to simulate realistic tests of the requirements of humans landing on Mars. The space suit is only the prototype: It consists of the Hard-Upper-Torso (a solid, non-flexible armour for the upper body) as the main element. The suit weighs 45kg. Several remarkable features make Aouda on of the best suits for analogue mars research: It has a thermo electrical cooling, broadband-wireless communication device, an experimental human-machine-interface which employs gesture and voice control and full medical telemetries. It can be used up to several hours, both in a desert at temperatures around +50°C and the arctic at -25°C. The outer hull is a special skin using Panox-Kevlar coated with aluminium. This material has excellent astrobiological properties. To simulate the environment on Mars, the suit uses an exoskeleton which was developed especially for this use. This enables a realistic „on Mars“ experience. Such realism is needed to train optimally on Earth.

A few chosen parts of the prototype are developed by experts from the Austrian Space Forum, the Institute of Astro- and Particle Physics of the University of Innsbruck together with the following schools:
  •  HBLA Weingartnerstrasse (Ferrarischule): Design of outer hull, gloves, speciality boots and thermal underwear.
  • HTL Fulpmes: Development of the solid components (life support rucksack, helmet system, flanges) as well as a pressure simulation system (mechanical exoskeleton) and the concept of air condition and liquid cooling systems.
  • HTL Anichstrasse: Designing the On-Board-Data Handling (OBDH, Computer), the human-machine interface and the energy support.
  • BRG Imst: Visualisation of the telemetry (Radio data transfer) fort he mission control centre (Software-Project).

PolAres Schedule Update

15. June 2012: Deadline Announcement of Opportunity MARS2013

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
25.-27. Oct. 2012: 3rd Conference on Terrestial Mars Analogues

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.

Detail
01 - 28. February 2013: Morocco Mars Simulation

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.