An experiment to simulate living conditions on Mars will take place in the desert in southern Israel, France 24 reports. A group of six astronauts will spend a month in fake spacesuits, performing various tasks within the framework of this project, however, as the TV channel emphasizes, before the first manned flight to the Red Planet there is still far.
At first glance, it is easy to make a mistake and assume that these frames were taken on a planet in a distant galaxy, but in fact – on Earth. These astronauts are in Ramon Crater in the desert in southern Israel. Its rocky terrain was chosen to mimic the conditions of life on Mars, in order to prepare for what is hoped (scientists – InoTV), the first-ever human exploration of the Red Planet.
GRÖMER GRÖMER, Project Director of the Austrian Space Forum: Ramon Crater is practically a unique geological formation in the world. Here, after many thousands of kilometers of rock research, we found that many of the geological features of the Ramon crater coincide with those of Mars.
As part of a project by the Israel Space Agency and the Austrian Space Forum, a group of six astronauts from around the world will live here for the next month. Participants will be clothed in fake spacesuits equipped with cameras, microphones and an autonomous breathing system, thanks to which they will be monitored for their vital signs and movements. In addition, they will conduct over 20 experiments in geology, biology and medicine, which have been developed by more than 200 scientists from 25 countries.
ALON TENSER, Israeli astronaut: There are six of us who work in a confined space under intense stress to complete many tasks. We will certainly face problems, but I believe that my team will be able to overcome them, we will learn to work together, train together, and we are absolutely sure of this.
After scientists and engineers have dreamed for decades of going to Mars one day, this mission could make it a reality. Nevertheless, according to experts, preparations for human exploration of the Red Planet will take another 10 years.
