Photo: GW
Because the Negev resembles Mars, experiments and procedures for the future exploration of the red planet can be tested there in a particularly realistic environment. The 2020 events had to cancelled . These days, Gebrüder Weiss can finally begin preparations for transporting the equipment to the Israeli desert.
Amadee-20 is the official name of the 13th Mars simulation, which will be conducted between October 4th and 31st by the Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF) together with international research partners from Austria, Germany, France, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the USA. On-site, six specially trained analog astronauts from the ÖWF will perform the simulation using a complex spacesuit simulator. They will be supported by a for the medical monitoring of the field crew responsible .
Gebrüder Weiss is handling the transfer of the equipment and 16 international experiments, which must prove their practicality, in two sea freight containers.
To organize the transport, the logistics provider deliberately involved its junior staff. Four trainees, under supervision, are handling all related tasks, including customs clearance and the transport of the mission equipment. They regularly share personal insights into this extraordinary project on social media using the hashtag #marsmonday .
View of the Ramon crater. Photo: Koch
The test site is located in the Ramon Crater, the largest erosion crater in the Negev Desert in southern Israel. The area is geologically diverse: from sandy sedimentary structures that have been eroded for 70 million years to volcanic cones that are only a few thousand years old. This part of the Negev Desert is the northernmost extension of the East African Rift Valley, which begins in Kenya.
Photo: Austrian Space Forum
The test site could be compared to Vallis Marineris on Mars. The nearest settlement is Mitzpe Ramon. Typical temperatures expected in November range from 10 to 20°C, with a low probability of precipitation.
Short-term flash floods of catastrophic proportions cannot be ruled out: Water level gauge in the central Negev. Photo: Koch
More project information here
www.gw-world.com
