INESC TEC among the entities promoting the first analog space mission carried out in Portugal

Several astronaut candidates will be able to carry out an analog space mission for a whole week, at a volcanic cave on Terceira Island (the Azores). Due to its characteristics, Gruta Natal sets up the perfect environment to simulate mission on Mars or the Moon, facilitating training, technology testing, and data collection, among other scientific activities. CAMões is the name of this pioneering project in national territory, with INESC TEC as one of the promoters.

This exploratory initiative will allow the national and international community to carry out space training inside volcanic caves – locations that have conditions like the volcanic cavities of Mars or the Moon. CAMões (Caving Analog Mission: insights about Ocean Earth and Space) – A Journey to the Center of the Earth) is the name of the first analog space mission carried out in Portugal, which will give a group of scientists the possibility of being isolated, in an underground environment, to carry out training and research activities for a week.

“We’re finally witnessing an old dream coming true! We will take advantage of one of the lava tubes at Terceira Island to simulate a mission to Mars or the Moon”, explained Ana Pires. According to the INESC TEC researcher, Gruta Natal sets up an ideal geological context for astronauts to study, carry our scientific experiments, test technologies, and perform space training actions. “We are very excited about this possibility and are committed to getting the mission accomplished later this year, with Crew Zero“, she claimed.

“It’s amazing how planet Earth offers us locations very similar to Mars or the Moon. Terceira Island presents natural structures like lava tubes that are true ‘science laboratories’, which can be used to test instruments, study geological formations, and develop technologies for future space missions”, emphasised Ana Pires, confessing that “we are living in incredible times in terms of Space Exploration!”

The CAMões mission will be managed and organised by the “Os Montanheiros” Association (Speleology Group), in partnership with INESC TEC, Porto School of Engineering, University of the Azores, University of Aveiro, Lusófona University, Women in Tech Portugal, Native Sky and The Explorers Club. Until it is accomplished, more institutions and entities are expected to join the mission.

The CAMões initiative was announced on the stage of the Glex Summit

The mission was presented during the second edition of SOE – Space, Ocean and Earth Insights, an event specialised in space and ocean research, which took place in June, in the Azores – within the scope of the international event GLEX – Global Exploration Summit. This year, SOE’23 was part of the GLEX Summit as a special session “INNER & OUTER SPACE”, with INESC TEC being the “Exploration Partner” of the GLEX Summit.

SOE – which was part of the GLEX programme for the first time – promoted international cooperation in the space-earth-ocean interaction and, under the theme “The Quest to Inspire a Universe of Extreme Explorers”, explored science, technology and research on Earth, Space, and the Ocean, welcoming a series of experts from around the world, including scientists, entrepreneurs, researchers, and policy makers. The event also promoted the debate around the work developed to improve knowledge on space, and how it can address challenges posed by the different elements that make up the universe.

SOE’23 was organised by INESC TEC and co-organised by the UT Austin Portugal Program, the TEC4SEA infrastructure, the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, the Space for all Nations initiative and GLEX Summit Portugal, with the support of several sponsors, including the Portuguese Space Agency (Portugal Space), the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), and other several entities and companies.

What’s the reason behind analog missions?

Recently, Ana Pires joined an analog space mission in the Utah desert, in the United States of America – more precisely, at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) – an analog space station that is managed by the Mars Society. The infrastructure is used by several teams to carry out analog studies and field tests for the potential exploration of the red planet. Ana Pires participated as Crew Scientist of the Pegasus team (Crew #281), consisting of three American colleagues and an Indian colleague; for two weeks, she had the opportunity to carry out several experiments, test various geotechnologies, and carry out a geological-geotechnical study of the region with the geomechanical characterisation of the rocks.

“Over the course of two weeks, I was able to use a mockup of space suits to perform the EVAs (Extravehicular Activities) outside the habitat, and to simulate various operations inside and outside the station, while benefiting from teamwork and social relationship activities”, she said.

During this experience, Ana Pires tested the prototype of a t-shirt – smart textiles – produced in Portugal by Filipa Fernandes, researcher at OozeNanotech – following the cooperation between the two researchers, as well as a subsystem for a ROVER, developed within the scope of the Master in Autonomous Systems of the course in Electrical and Computer Engineering at ISEP. It is a tool for collecting rocks and soil, developed by Ana Pires and Diogo Abreu, and it was successfully tested during one of the EVAs.

“We simulated a mission to Mars, tested technologies in an extreme environment – very similar in geological terms to what we found on the Moon or Mars – and collected a lot of scientific data to support publications. It was an opportunity to challenge our own limits, but also to learn and bring knowledge to our country. A unique experience, in terms of space training, engineering, technology, social behaviour, and teamwork, which prepared us for true missions, giving us many clues for the future on how to act in these types of operations”.

This article was first published on 14 July by INESC TEC.