Abstract The Austrian Space Forum in cooperation with the Oman Astronomical Society conducted a high-fidelity Mars Analog field simulation in the Dhofar region, Sultanate of Oman in February 2018. Directed by a Mission Support Center in Austria, a carefully selected and trained field crew of 15 researchers conducted experiments from various disciplines (e.g. engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences) preparing for future human Mars missions. Mars analog research in a representative environment is also an excellent tool to enhance the visibility of planetary sciences and to engage with the next generation of researchers. To reach out to young students from 6 to 25 years, special programs and initiatives were set-up. This paper focuses on the Junior Researchers Program, where four high school and undergraduate student teams realized their experiments in a scientific mission, starting with defining their research questions, building their experiment hardware and finally analyzing and publishing the outcomes.
Highlights Mars analog research serves as a tool to inspire next generation researchers. Students executed their experiments during the AMADEE-18 mission. Students can learn from working alongside senior researchers. The AMADEE-18 mission provided a platform for outreach and education.
Inspiring the next generation through the AMADEE-18 MARS analog simulation
Acta Astronautica ; 164 ; 204-211
2019-08-13
8 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
simulateMars , Mars analogs , Simulation , Oman , STEM , OeWF , Austrian Space Forum , MSC , Mission Support Center , JRP , Junior Researchers Program , PIs , Principle Investigators , ESA , European Space Agency , SGAC , Space Generation Advisory Council , A3DPT-2-Mars , Advanced 3D printing technologies for crewed surface operations on Mars , EOS , EVA Orientation System , Science Technology Engineering Mathematics , SEIF , Standard Experiment Information Form
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