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 here.

Experiments:

namedescriptionorganisationpi
A.X MAT/EPMedical monitoring tool – continuation of the Rio Tinto 2011 medical survey protocolMedical Univ. of InnsbruckUlrich Luger
AntipodesSimulation of a two-landing teams on Mars scenario – command handover for a remote science experiment.
KiwispaceKiwispace New Zealand / OeWF (joint operations)
AoudaXSuit-subsystems check-out, field test of telemetry receiving station – subsystem commissioning & voice recognition.Austrian Space ForumDr. Gernot Grömer
Asimov Jr. R3Chassis and drive-train tests for the GLXP lunar rover prototype.Part Time Scientists (Google Lunar X-Prize)Daniel Ziegenberg
Asset planningField testing of a planning algorithm for traverse, consumables and hardware planningUniv. of Innsbruck, AustriaSebastian Hettrich & Alejandra Sans
CRV / CliffbotConcept rover for studying steep terrain and cliffsAssociation Planète MarsAlain Souchier
ERAS C3 SimulatorA Mars-analog Command, Control and Communication (C3) infrastructure providing processing and communications capabilitiesMars Society ItalyFranco Carbognani
EXOMARS/WISDOMGround validation for the ESA EXOMARS georadar under varying terrainsLATMOS/IPSL, FranceValérie Ciarletti
ILEWG EuroMoonMars DachsteinSupport 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 capabilitiesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamExp. A: Rai Balwant, Exp. B: Luisa Rodrigues
MAGMA 2Operational tests and demonstration of the winning rover of the University Rover ChallengePolish Mars SocietySebastian Meszyński
PRoVisG Cave 3D Reconstruction3d TOF-camera for surveying parts of the cave with a high-resolution SLR cameraJoanneum Research, AustriaGerhard Paar; Kathrin Sander
Terbium luminescence assayStudying contamination vectors and germination rates of water/soil samples within the cave.NASA/Jet Propulsion LabAdrian Ponce
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