In the Dhofar Desert in Oman (Middle East), where the air temperature in hot summers can reach 51 degrees Celsius, a grandiose experiment is taking place. Its goal is to prepare humanity of the future for the conditions of life on Mars.
More than 200 scientists from 25 countries took part in the project. Under their supervision, several "astronauts" are to spend 3 weeks in a deserted base simulating a Martian colony. There were several similar experiments earlier, this one is distinguished by its scale.
Project participants should not only live at the base, but also work in a greenhouse, walk in heavy spacesuits on the surface, launch drones in open space and use robotic rovers (rovers).
The tests in the Omani desert are being conducted by the Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF), a research and consulting center in Innsbruck.
The brownish-grayish landscapes of the Dhofar Desert look so "Martian" that they can be safely used in conspiracy theories and assure that this is where all the Martian photographs are taken.
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The main base of the "colonists" is a general point of 2.4 ton equipment, surrounded by a laboratory and sleeping quarters of "astronauts".
The specially created in Austria "Martian suit" "Auda" allows astronauts not only to move around Mars, like the space suits of competitors from NASA and other developers of Martian clothing, but also to control the rovers and all kinds of equipment of the Martian base.
The spacesuit is named after the princess and the rajah's widow from Jules Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days and is equipped with everything necessary to support the life and work of an astronaut. These are respiratory and power supply systems, radio communications, biometric sensors, ventilation, and so on. In this spacesuit, he can eat, drink and even scratch the tip of his nose. The cost of the spacesuit is comparable to that of a Ferrari.
The "Mars" expedition, called AMADEE-18, is designed for 3 weeks and will last until February 28. Among the "astronauts" there are 4 men and one woman. In addition to being in heavy spacesuits for several hours a day, the "colonists" will have to perform 10 experiments. For example, to find water and "traces of life" in the desert.
The MIR 24 journalist asked Nathan Eismont, a leading researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ph. D.
- Five people will spend three weeks in a simulator of Martian life. For this, 4.5 tons of scientific equipment and products were brought to the Dhofar desert, and a special module was built. The participants of the Martian mission will leave it in 50-kilogram spacesuits, specially designed for the experiment. All this costs incredible money, but from the outside it looks like a game. How important is it for science?
N. E.: If we talk about the amounts, then they do not seem so great to me, especially if we consider how much will be spent on a real expedition, which, as I hope, will take place someday. I think the difference here is a million times.
- If serious scientific data cannot be obtained, why spend fabulous money?
N. E.: Yes, indeed, the money is big, But one of the goals of this experiment is to learn how to behave in such a group, how to survive in the desert (the conditions are harsh anyway) in order to cope with the tasks that were determined by the scientific group of this experiment. There are experiments that do not just simulate being on Mars, but are of real scientific interest.
I took a quick look at what they were going to do; in particular, there is water extraction with the help of a geophone - a special device that shines through the ground. They found water on Mars, and there was a lot of it. The Space Research Institute played an important role in this. There is so much of it that there are already talks about not taking water with you. If there is water, then we need to learn how to get it.
- Why, in principle, do earthlings need Mars?
N. E.: It seems to me that he, among other things, is needed by earthlings to make a certain dream come true. Here we are talking about some kind of expansion, and expansion beyond the Earth. We all hope that this expedition will someday take place and it will be a unifying start. Such a common all-terrestrial project, it will unite humanity. I think it's worth it. Not only because no country alone will pull such an expedition. Even if not all countries of the world participate in the project, it will still be perceived as a common cause. We are all earthlings, and this is what brings us together.
- How technically prepared are earthlings today for such a flight? And when is it likely to be possible? What's missing in the first place?
N. E.: There are some problems that are difficult to solve today, although theoretically possible. Perhaps the most serious is the problem of radiation. Someone might say: well, astronauts fly and deal with radiation. All astronauts (with the exception of those who flew to the moon) fly under radiation belts (this is a kind of shield against radiation penetration, formed by a magnetic field). There radiation is five times lower than outside these belts.