Category Archives: Top News

SOL: 2 ????‍????

Celebrating Yuri’s Night from the Mars Desert Research Station with the most incredible crew of analogue astronauts (MDRS crew 245): Paolo Guardabasso, Simone Paternostro, Nadia Maarouf, Vittorio Netti, Benjamin Pothier, Luca Rossettini.#smops #mdrs #marsdesertresearch #spacemedicinoperations #yurisnight #crew #astronauts #spaceexploration #spacemission #spaceflight #hubble #astronautlife #spacetravel #astronomy #crewlove #spaceart #planets #spacecraft #spacephotography #crewlife #earthfromspace #spacestation #astrophoto #astronomie…

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SOL: 1  A windy daySim has been delayed all day waiting for favourable conditions for the unsuited rover training that did not yet happen. The Crew decided to start sim tomorrow morning.The crew performed EVA suit training and tested the SMOPS flight suits and boots. The first meal at the station was prepared (no insects were…

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Landing day: At 12:30 the SMOPS crew arrived at the stationUnloaded the CrewCar and the rental car and used the CrewCar to go back to Hanksville to retrieve food and cargo. Then they did some MDRS training with Shannon and showed the station around to the crew.Information provided by Paolo Guardabasso#smops #mdrs #marsdesertresearch #spacemedicinoperations #space…

-3 Days to go and counting!

Today we want to present to you our crew! Paolo: Aerospace Engineer, currently a PhD candidate at the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO) in Toulouse (FR). The main subjects of his research are space debris, multi-body orbital mechanics and lunar exploration missions. Nadia: A medical scientist with expertise in Cardiac Sciences, Clinical…

-11 Days to go and counting!

Today, we are going to explore two of the last experiments we intend to carry out at MDRS! Experiments: Air Purifier, SatCom, and Kinesiology, Biomonitoring, Spit Test. Experiment referent: Luca Rossettini????‍????, PhD and Dr Nadia Maarouf????‍???? Equipment needed for the first set of experiments: 1. Electric transformer, PC, laptop, microscope, Petri dishes, gloves, and glasses.2.…

-16 Days to go and counting!

Today, we will keep on going with the experiment list. Experiments: 3D Scanning, Headset Experiment referent: Benjamin Pothier, PhD????‍???? Equipment needed:1. 1x Handheld 3D scanner.2. 1x Headset, liquid for conservation, battery for remote use. The first experiment wants to explore the structure integrity: obtain the model of the MDRS for simulations and renderings for a…

-17 Days to go and counting!

In the last post, we talked about one of the experiments! Today, we are going to show you how varied and complex the experiment list still is. Since MDRS is a so-called “geological analogue” of Mars, we’ll take advantage of this chance and perform experiments on the soil of the desert. Experiments: DNA, MicrometeoritesExperiment referent:…

New version of Mars City in VR under preparation

A new version of our Mars City in Vr is under testing. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1146380/Mars_City/?l=italian New interiors design, updated Mars Greenhouse, new user experience features.

After a year on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover is on course for big discoveries

The Perseverance rover’s second year on Mars should be even more action-packed than the first. The car-sized Perseverance rover landed inside the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, tasked with searching for signs of ancient Mars life and collecting dozens of samples for future return to Earth. The 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero is…

NASA’s InSight Mars lander bounces back from dust storm, but its days are numbered

NASA’s InSight Mars lander has shaken off the effects of a recent dust storm, likely allowing the spacecraft to collect science data for a few more months . InSight went into a protective safe mode on Jan. 7, temporarily shutting down its instruments after a huge dust storm prevented the solar-powered lander from soaking up…