MARS MISSION SIMULATIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA ? HOW CAN SOUTH AMERICA CONTRIBUTE?

MARIANA TUSO; DANIEL MATÍAS DI NOTO; EMILIANO GRGIC; ANDRÉ CAMINOA; JUAN PABLO IÑIGO; GERBERT SILVA; MÓNICA ABARCA; DANIEL VIGO

Workshop; SOUTH AMERICA SPACE GENERATION WORKSHOP 2015; 2015

Space Generation Advisory Council

One of the most challenging and exciting targets in space mission design is surface exploration of celestial bodies, particularly those with similar characteristics of Earth. Mars is the subject of renewed global interest, both from space agencies and private companies, as data from on-going unmanned missions may indicate that this planet once held conditions suitable for life.The underlying need for precision and efficiency in such high-risk endeavours requires realistic scenarios and models for testing and simulations. Equipment, tools and vehicles should all be tested in an environment and working conditions as similar as possible to the ones in which they will be deployed; alien environments also pose challenges for humans, and mission simulations in similarly demanding working conditions allows human response to be studied to better prepare explorers for future missions. A combination of specifically designed facilities and natural terrestrial sites with similarity to thesurface of target celestial bodies currently offer the best research models for mission simulations. Ideal terrestrial sites should have appropriate site suitability, specifically physical attributes such as geography, mineral or chemical composition, climate, and isolation. Additionally, logistical factorsrelating to site availability, such as local laws, policies, and cost, must be considered. The working group studied South America?s unique attributes to identify how the region can contribute to such simulations.