Dachstein 2012
Aims of the Dachstein field test
Martian caves are considered one of the hotspots for astrobiology on the planet. Besides studying contamination vectors during human missions, the Austrian Space Forum is investigating operational issues related to (sub)surface operations in a Mars analog environment. After preparatory cave tests we now increased the complexity and fidelity of the tests by including external experiments (e.g. robotic rovers) and expanding the support infrastructure like communication from within the cave to a rudimentary Mission Support Center and international partners.
Preparing for a large OeWF field mission in February 2013 in Northern Africa, the Dachstein test was ...
- a full systems check-out for the spacesuit simulator Aouda.X in its most recent configuration,
- an opportunity for external teams to study equipment behaviour involving the simultaneous usage of different instruments with the option of a human-in-the-loop,
- a platform for performing ground validations and terrain tests for experiments, including rovers and study concepts of enhancing the situational awareness of remote support teams.
Secondary aims included:
- studying the Dachstein caves as a model region for Martian caves and extreme life,
- serving as a platform for outreach
The Dachstein 2012 Final Report is available .
Experiments:
| name | description | organisation | pi |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.X MAT/EP | Medical monitoring tool – continuation of the Rio Tinto 2011 medical survey protocol | Medical Univ. of Innsbruck | Ulrich Luger |
| Antipodes | Simulation of a two-landing teams on Mars scenario – command handover for a remote science experiment. | Kiwispace | Kiwispace New Zealand / OeWF (joint operations) |
| AoudaX | Suit-subsystems check-out, field test of telemetry receiving station – subsystem commissioning & voice recognition. | Austrian Space Forum | Dr. Gernot Grömer |
| Asimov Jr. R3 | Chassis and drive-train tests for the GLXP lunar rover prototype. | Part Time Scientists (Google Lunar X-Prize) | Daniel Ziegenberg |
| Asset planning | Field testing of a planning algorithm for traverse, consumables and hardware planning | Univ. of Innsbruck, Austria | Sebastian Hettrich & Alejandra Sans |
| CRV / Cliffbot | Concept rover for studying steep terrain and cliffs | Association Planète Mars | Alain Souchier |
| ERAS C3 Simulator | A Mars-analog Command, Control and Communication (C3) infrastructure providing processing and communications capabilities | Mars Society Italy | Franco Carbognani |
| EXOMARS/WISDOM | Ground validation for the ESA EXOMARS georadar under varying terrains | LATMOS/IPSL, France | Valérie Ciarletti |
| ILEWG EuroMoonMars Dachstein | Support to human factor studies, following protocol tested during ILEWG EuroMoonMars campaign in Utah as well as sterile collection of samples for PCR and phylogenetic analysis Simulation of a two-landing teams on Mars scenario – command handover for a remote science experiment. A Mars-analog Command, Control and Communication (C3) infrastructure providing processing and communications capabilities | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Exp. A: Rai Balwant, Exp. B: Luisa Rodrigues |
| MAGMA 2 | Operational tests and demonstration of the winning rover of the University Rover Challenge | Polish Mars Society | Sebastian Meszyński |
| PRoVisG Cave 3D Reconstruction | 3d TOF-camera for surveying parts of the cave with a high-resolution SLR camera | Joanneum Research, Austria | Gerhard Paar; Kathrin Sander |
| Terbium luminescence assay | Studying contamination vectors and germination rates of water/soil samples within the cave. | NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab | Adrian Ponce |