Training for Analog Mars Simulations

Abstract

The Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF) is a citizen science organization with one of the most significant experience in Europe in Analog Mars Simulations. Since its establishment in 1999 it has developed a deep knowledge and understanding of simulated missions to Mars, culminating in six major field missions organized between 2006 and 2015 between Europe, North America and Africa. It is the only organization in Europe with a permanent Analog Astronaut Corp and, in order to support the field missions, an established Mission Support Center with trained personnel. Since the last mission, a 15 days long simulation in the Kaunertal glacier in Austria (AMADEE 15), and in preparation for the upcoming one, a month long expedition in Oman (AMADEE 18), a training program has been prepared and implemented to develop and train the skills of the volunteers who will support the mission from both the field and the Mission Support Center. This training flow is developed in parallel with the dedicated one for the Analog Astronauts, which consists of a basic training in the major areas of technical skills and emergency training supplemented by a continuous physical training, nutritional coaching, media and education and outreach activities. In addition, mission specific training is added in preparation for the major field missions, approximately one year prior to the start of the activities and progressively refined as soon as the scientific program is finalized. The training program for the Mission Support center personnel is articulated in two major milestones, which are 3 days long face to face courses held in Innsbruck, where the ÖWF headquarter and the Mission Support Center are located; those are respectively an Analog Mission Basic Training (AMBT) and an Analog Mission Advanced Training (AMAT). As said, the ÖWF is a citizen science organization open to students, professionals and in general targeting anyone with an interest in space, therefore there is a variety of backgrounds and skills, which have to be considered and integrated in the training preparation. In order to set a common level of initial knowledge, the first part of the AMBT course is developed as an online series of lectures, introducing the ÖWF history and some generic concepts on the different teams working for an analog mission, namely the Flight Control Team, Flight Planning, Remote Science Support, Information technology, Media, Field and Ground Support. In addition, some introductory readings on planetary exploration and Mars Mission Design, including the PolAres manifest, which is the interdisciplinary program lead by the ÖWF to prepare for a future robotic-human Mars mission. The concepts learned in the online part of the course are then exploited during the fact to face part of the course, in which additional communication skills are developed in preparation for the first analog Simulation, in which the participants are getting a first introduction to the Mission Support Center consoles and tools. In the same timeframe the students receive the first introduct...