MoU signed, Oman set to host Mars Analogue Mission in February 2018

2017-10-30 11:54:14

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- A memorandum of understanding was signed by the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) and Oman National Steering Committee on Monday at the State Council for hosting the Mars field simulation project, Mars Analogue Mission AMADEE-18 in Dhofar.

The simulation exercise will be held in February 2018, by OeWF, in partnership with the Oman National Steering Committee for AMADEE-18, for four weeks. The signing took place under the patronage of H H Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq al Said, advisor to His Majesty the Sultan at the State Council in the presence of a host of dignitaries.

The first agreement was signed between Dr Shaikh al Khattab Ghalib al Hinai, vice chairman of the State Council of Oman and chairman of National Steering Committee for AMADEE-18 and Dr Gernot Gromer, president of OeWF, for hosting the simulation project. The second agreement was signed between the Steering Committee for AMADEE-18, PDO and Oman Broadband relating to logistical and financial support.

Dr Hinai said that the signing of the MoU is the culmination of a journey that started in March this year. He added that the sultanate was chosen to host AMADEE-18 after a strict global competition. Directed by a Mission Support Center in Austria, a small field crew will conduct experiments preparing for future human Mars missions. Oman was selected after experts from OeWF visited the country for scouting the location from March 17 to 21.

'This field mission is designed to be an opportunity to study equipment, procedures and workflows under Mars analog conditions with humans-in-the-loop,' OeWF stated. 'Based upon preceding Mars analog missions, the Austrian Space Forum has established a mission support infrastructure, trained and certified flight controllers and field crew members as well as a programmatic roadmap to implement a coherent strategy.' Field activities will be scheduled through a 'flight plan', supported by a remote science team and directed by flight controllers at the Mission Support Center in Austria.

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