Mount Ararat, azure blue sky, a rocky plateau reminiscent of Mars, red soil and… analog astronauts in spacesuits: the explorations for future missions on Mars have brought the analog astronauts to the village of Armash in Armenia’s Ararat province.
Set against the backdrop of majestic Ararat, six analog astronauts hailing from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain underwent a month-long isolation at the “Mars station,” a simulated test site.
Chosen for its geological and topographical similarities to the Red Planet, the village of Armash has been chosen as the testing ground for the “AMADEE-24” Mars Analog Mission.
The Mars Analog Station is situated in Armenia, while the flight control, flight planning, remote science support, and on-site media teams operate from Vienna. A team of highly trained analog astronauts will conduct experiments with various rovers and robotics in a space station simulator, preparing for future human and robotic exploration missions to Mars. Over 250 scientists from 26 countries have their significant contribution to the mission.
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“AMADEE-24” is a prestigious program in the field of analog space technology research organized by the “Armenian Aerospace Agency” and the “Armenian Space Forum,” with management overseen by the “Austrian Space Forum.”
Hayk Aslanyan, a member of the Armenian initiative group of the project, expressed, “We are honored to host the ‘AMADEE-24’ flagship space research program in Armenia. This presents a remarkable opportunity, particularly for the younger generation, to pursue a professional path within the space industry. Through this project, experience and knowledge concerning analog missions become readily available in Armenia. We are poised to continue this journey in the years to come, establishing laboratories for analog research.”
Accompanying the analog astronauts, Gernot Grömer, the director of the Austrian Space Forum has also arrived in Armenia. In his view, Armenia stands out as one of the finest hosts for the 14th international Mars analog mission. “In addition to succeeding, our primary goal for the mission is also not being afraid of failing and making mistakes, identifying potential issues that can benefit astronauts in future Mars missions. Who knows? Perhaps the first Martian was born in Armenia and attends first grade (laughs). However the path to Mars is, it will symbolize a fusion of the red and white of the Austrian flag and the red, blue, and orange colors of the Armenian flag,” Mr. Grömer stated.
The Deputy Commander of the analog astronaut crew, Robert Wild added, “I am extremely excited to find myself here, in this amazing country surrounded by amazing people. This is the case where the host country is really a great host in every way. I am delighted that we will spend the upcoming weeks here, conducting scientific experiments that will lay the foundation for future Mars explorations, in terms of ideas and concepts.”
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry, Avet Poghosyan Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Armenia, Thomas Mühlmann (residence in Tbilisi), Head of Coordination Office for Technical Cooperation in Armenia (ADA) Klaus Kapper, ADA representative Gabriele Haselsberger, Austrian Defence Attaché to Armenia, Col. Thomas Ahammer, and Head of Mission European Union Mission in Armenia, Markus Ritter.
Before the core moment of the event, the guests had the opportunity to witness two of the astronauts in their spacesuits walking around the mission site, take selfies with them as well as familiarize themselves with the robotic tests of “MEROP,” “RAMSES,” “SAMPLE” and other scientific experiments to be used during the one-month isolation period.
“This is the Armash Mars Analog Research Station, requesting a go or no-go decision for the mission start,” was announced from “Mars”, i.e. the Mars Station in Armash.
“The Mission Support Center in Vienna is GO for the launch of the AMADEE-24 Mission!” was the reply from Earth, from the Mission Support Center in Vienna. Just as communications travel from Earth to Mars, from Vienna to Armash Mars Analog Research Station, with a 10-minute delay, the connection between the parties was established, and the start of the simulation mission to Mars was announced.
“In 15-20 years, when the first human steps on Mars, each of you can proudly tell your children that you were a part of this historic journey,” said Gernot Grömer, as the astronauts, amid applause, departed for the habitat, a place of isolation for the mission.
We will reconvene with them in a month.
The project is implemented with the support of the Ararat Municipality and the National Assembly Friendship Group Armenia-Austria. The general partner is GTB Holding, strategic partners are Aren Mehrabyan Foundation, Engined AM, Instigate and “Real School”, and technology partners are Team Telecom Armenia, VEGA, PROFAL, and Shell.
