Inside a huge crater in Israel's sun-baked Negev desert, a team wearing
space suits ventures forth on a mission to simulate conditions on Mars.
The Austrian Space Forum has set up a pretend Martian base with the Israeli
space agency at Makhtesh Ramon, a 500-metre (1,600-foot) deep, 40 kilometre
(25 mile) wide crater.
The six so-called "analogue astronauts" will live in isolation in the
virtual station until the end of the month.
"It's a dream come true," Israeli Alon Tenzer, 36, told AFP. "It's something
we've been working on for years."
The participants—from Austria, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal
and Spain—all had to pass gruelling physical and psychological tests.
During their mission, they will conduct tests including on a drone prototype
that functions without GPS, and on automated wind- and solar-powered mapping
vehicles.
The mission will also aim to study human behaviour and the effect of
isolation on the astronauts.
"The group's cohesion and their ability to work together are crucial for
surviving on Mars," said Gernot Groemer, the Austrian mission supervisor.
"It's like a marriage, except in a marriage you can leave but on Mars you
can't."
'Largest voyage ever'
The Austrian Space Forum, a private organisation made up of aerospace
specialists, has already organised 12 missions, the most recent in Oman in
2018.
The Israel project is part of mission Amadee-20, which was expected to kick
off last year but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The forum has partnered with Israeli research centre D-MARS to construct the
solar-powered base.
German astronaut Anika Mehlis, the only woman on the team, told AFP how
happy she was to be part of the project.
"My father took me to the space museum when I was little," she said. "When I
saw that the forum was looking for analogue astronauts, I told myself I had
to apply."
Mehlis, a trained microbiologist, will study a scenario where bacteria from
Earth infect potential life forms that may be found on Mars, saying this
"would be a huge problem".
Visually, the surrounding desert resembles the Red Planet with its stony
wilderness and orange hues, though thankfully not in terms of atmospheric
conditions.
"Over here, we have temperatures of about 25-30 degrees Celsius, but on Mars
the temperature is minus 60 degrees Celsius and the atmosphere is not fit
for breathing," said Groemer.
The interior of the base is austere, with a small kitchen and bunk beds.
Most of the space is reserved for scientific experiments.
NASA envisions the first human mission to Mars will launch in 2030.
"What we are doing here is preparing a large mission, the largest voyage our
society has ever taken, as Mars and Earth are 380 million kilometres apart
at their extreme point," said Groemer.
"I believe the very first human to walk on Mars is already born and we are
the ship-builders to enable this journey."
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Space & Astrophysics