AAMs are simulations designed with the purpose of emulating extraterrestrial conditions, offering valuable opportunities for both space and terrestrial applications.
The controlled environment allows to develop and test innovative technologies, while improving systems and gaining valuable insights into human behaviour and performance. These findings contain the potential for terrestrial applications including medicine, emergency response and remote work environments.
Through the utilisation of analogue missions, companies and researchers can foster innovation and acquire fresh perspectives on the challenges associated with operating in extreme environments, be it on Earth or in space.
APICES – Astroland Project Inside Caves for Earth-based Space exploration – mission is to evaluate and expand ICEE Space’s in-house capabilities to run standardised and adaptable analogue missions in diverse extreme environments.
Astroland is a Spanish aerospace company that develops analogue missions with a primary focus on developing skills and technologies centred around Mars. This encompasses the construction of habitats and the investigation of human psychology and survival capabilities in hostile conditions.
Astroland has set up its analogous human habitat system, the Ares Station, within a cave in Cantabria. The aim is to test possible modes of living for future interplanetary explorers, validating the ability of humans to live and thrive in analogue missions in extraterrestrial environments.
– RESEARCH –
UV light is investigated to clean garments in “space”, i.e., space laundry, to mitigate the detrimental effects of prolonged space exposure like infections and allergies, caused by foreign microbes.
With this cutting-edge technology, humans will be able to live much longer in space without needing fresh clothes, an often overlooked hurdle to long-term space habitation.
This study explores human-machine interactions in the context of inspecting extraterrestrial environments. Data collected provides crucial insights that enable optimisation of algorithms and operations to conduct activities like navigation, construction, excavation, and sample collection. By unravelling the mysteries of human-machine interactions in space, we forge a path towards safer, more efficient, and sustainable extraterrestrial endeavours.
While extreme environments by nature can be difficult to navigate through for a human, robots can be remotely manoeuvred through unstable, narrow, extreme terrains. The BATS drone project aims to use a drone with a spectral reflectance narrowband sensor to map the Santander caves’ biome. By automating the entire process of environmental data gathering, processing and operations, analogue missions can become much safer and more efficient.
In high-stakes missions and extreme environments, success hinges on constant vigilance and flawless teamwork. In this simulation, the team faces a critical challenge and is asked to perform an Extravehicular Activity to rescue an injured crew member. Navigating uncharted territory outside the habitat, the team must locate and aid the crew mate executing a strategic search and rescue operation for a safe return. This study explores teamwork’s core and analyses psychological responses in adversity, uncovering pivotal factors that shape emergency response outcomes.
This study explores human-machine interactions in the context of inspecting extraterrestrial environments. Data collected provides crucial insights that enable optimisation of algorithms and operations to conduct activities like navigation, construction, excavation, and sample collection. By unravelling the mysteries of human-machine interactions in space, we forge a path towards safer, more efficient, and sustainable extraterrestrial endeavours.
During the mission our analog astronauts come to comprehend the genuine ramifications of natural elements such as sunlight, plant life, animal life, and unpolluted air, along with the manner in which their absence can profoundly influence their state of well-being. This study endeavors to delineate the specific facets of the natural world that evoke a sense of longing amongst the astronauts. This is achieved through the completion of mood questionnaires and the assessment of imagery portraying favored environments and landscapes throughout the duration of the mission.
Mission Commander
Fighter Pilot, Member of ESA Astronaut Reserve, Ph.D. in Aircraft and Rocket Technology
Sub Commander | Crew Scientist
CEO BioOrbit, Ph.D. Nanotechnology, Space Studies Program 2022 at International Space University
Mission Engineer
Associate professor at Universidad de Vigo
Crew Scientist | Psychological Research Lead
Divemaster in the WWI wrecks of Scapa Flow, B.Sc. Psychology at Rijksuniversiteit, Neuropsychological research at University Medical Center Groningen
Medical Specalist | Crew Scientist for Blood & UV Research
Ph.D. Candidate in Space Physiology, M.Sc. Experimental & Regenerative Medicine, B.Sc. Physiology & Neurosciences, Paramedic PSE2 Diploma
Crew Engineer | Crew Outreach Lead
B.Sc. Material Engineering and Nanotechnology, Commercial Space Studies at Florida Institute of Technology, Masters of Space Studies 2022 at International Space University
We provide consultancy service on:
Analogues Mission Design • MCC Support and Operations • Astronauts Selection and Training