Mars is considered one of the most interesting candidates for the search for life beyond Earth: ESA and NASA space probes are currently studying its surface and atmosphere, and an astronautic mission is foreseeable in the next two to three decades.

The invited speaker of this seminar is Dr. Gernot Grömer, Director of the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), teacher and researcher in the field of human Mars exploration and Astrobiology, has led more than 12 Mars expedition simulations and will tell us more about that topic in his talk “Expedition Mars – Research for astronautic Mars missions”. The seminar will take place on 21st February, from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., in Abreu Faro amphitheatre.

In an unusual field experiment, researchers from the OeWF with partners from more than 20 countries including Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), simulated elements of an astronautic Mars expedition in October 2021, in the Negev Desert, in Israel. Dr. Grömer led this expedition and will give a first-hand account of the scientific experiments and “product management” for Mars.

Organization:
Rodrigo Ventura (ISR-Lisboa, DEEC, IST)