Over the past two weeks, the Austrian Space Forum conducted a series of field tests for a future human Mars mission at the Rio Tinto region in southern Spain. In collaboration with international research teams, including representatives from NASA and European space agencies, a prototype for a future spacesuit was tested. The experimental spacesuit-simulator, dubbed Aouda.X, was tested together with robotic vehicles and instruments for Mars exploration. Scientists and engineers also conducted geophysical research and operative tests.

The crew in Spain was supported by the Mission Control Center in Austria that monitored the simulation via a satellite link and even commanded the suit’s electronics.

The team at Rio Tinto focused on sterile soil sampling techniques under simulated spaceflight conditions, taking measurements from the subsurface with ground penetrating radar and analyzing the behavior of the suit in the field with 3D-measurement techniques.