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Contact:
Dieter Isakeit
European Space Agency
A few weeks before leaving for the Antarctic Concordia
Station, the Italian-French crew that will spend over
one year in one of the harshest, isolated environments
on Earth, attended two days of preparatory training at
ESA's Headquarters in Paris, France. During their stay
at the research station the crew will participate in a
number of ESA experiments – the outcome of which
will help prepare for long-term missions to Mars.
As part of the Aurora Exploration Programme, ESA is considering
participating in a human mission to Mars by the year 2030.
Research projects are planned or are already underway
to develop the technology and knowledge needed. By being
involved in programmes that have requirements similar
to those of a mission to Mars, ESA will gain experience
on how best to prepare for such a challenging mission.
The Concordia Station is an ideal location as it replicates
certain aspects of a Mars mission," explains Oliver
Angerer, ESA's coordinator for the Concordia research programme.
"The crew lives in an extreme environment in one of
the most remote places on Earth. During the winter the base
is completely cut off with no visitors and no chance for
rescue. In such an isolated location, the crew has to learn
to be fully self-sufficient."
Cooperation
Built and operated jointly by the French Polar Institute
(Institute Paul Emile Victor, IPEV) and the Italian Antarctic
Programme (Consorzio per l'attuazione del Programma Nazionale
di Richerche in Antartide, PNRA S.C.r.l.), the Concordia
Station was completed in 2004. A letter of intent was signed
with IPEV and PNRA in 2002 that enabled ESA to cooperate
on some aspects of the project.
Capable of providing home to up to 16 crewmembers in
the winter, the station consists of three buildings, which
are interlinked by enclosed walkways. Two large cylindrical
three-storey buildings provide the station's main living
and working quarters, whilst the third building houses
technical equipment, like the electrical power plant and
boiler room.
Last November, the first crew finished their winter-over
which was dedicated to the technical qualification of the
station . The summer season sees a swelling in the number
of inhabitants as short-stay scientists take advantage of
the less extreme weather (however, mean air temperature
is about -30°C during this time!). With the second crew
now starting to gather at the remote research station, the
summer season also marks a change over of the crew.
Briefings
Three scientists who are part of the next Concordia winter-over
crew have already made the long journey to Antarctica.
The rest of the crew, who will leave for the Antarctic
research station during December, gathered at ESA's Headquarters
in Paris for two days of pre-departure training. They
received briefings about life at Concordia, including
aspects such as safety and the implications of the Antarctic
Treaty for activities at the station.
The seven crewmembers also heard about research at the
station, including two special experiments for which they
will act as subjects during their stay. In 2003, ESA coordinated
together with the Concordia partners a Research Announcement
for medical and psychological research, from which six
proposals were selected.
The two experiments, which are the first to be implemented
in the coming season, look at psychological adaptation
to the environment and the process of developing group
identity; issues that will also be important factors for
humans travelling to Mars. For this research the crew
will complete questionnaires at regular intervals throughout
their stay.
ESA's Mistacoba experiment, which already started a year
ago when the first crew started living at the station, will
also continue after the crew rotation. Starting from a newly
built clean environment, samples are taken from fixed locations
in the base as well as from crewmembers themselves. The
Mistacoba experiment will provide a profile of how microbes
spread and evolve in the station - an isolated and confined
environment - over time.
Water-recycling
To protect the Antarctic environment, all waste materials
must be removed from the Continent. For the Concordia
Station, this means that all waste materials have to be
appropriately treated. Regarding water, based on ESA life
support technologies, ESA developed, together with PNRA
and IPEV, a system to recycle the so-called 'grey water'
collected from showers, laundry and dishwashing, which
has been operating for a year in line with the requirements
of the Concordia partners.
Other ESA activities for Concordia include the ongoing
development of a system to monitor the health and well
being of the crew, part of the Long Term Medical Survey
(LMTS). Physiological parameters, collected using a vest-like
item of clothing, will provide valuable data about the
health and fitness of crew during long-term stays in harsh
environments.
Real environment
In mid-February the last plane of summer visitors will
depart from Concordia leaving the crew to their own devices.
"For those nine winter months the crew will experience
extreme isolation," adds Oliver Angerer. "Concordia
is a real operational environment, something we would
never be able to simulate in a laboratory. This will enhance
and complement our research and give us valuable insight
we need to prepare for Mars."
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