Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition Explained

Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) uses Mars analog sites on Svalbard for testing of science questions and payload instruments onboard Mars missions. AMASE has arranged annual expeditions on Svalbard since 2003 and is run by Vestfonna Geophysical AS and funded by the Norwegian Space Centre, ESA and NASA.

Payload instruments CheMin and SAM onboard NASA's Curiosity rover were deployed on AMASE in 2006–2011. Field deployment of payload instruments onboard ESA's ExoMars rover has been ongoing since 2007.

In 2007 ESA organized a competition, won by a student from Technical University of Denmark, which allowed the winner to carry out her own experiment during the expedition as well as assist in other experiments and activities.^{[1] [2]}

Dates of the expeditions

• 12 August 2007 – 26 August 2007^[2]
• 4 August 2008 – 17 August 2008^[3]
• 1 August 2009 – 24 August 2009^[4]
• 9 August 2010 – 25 August 2010^[5]
• 8 August 2011 – 21 August 2011^[6]

External links

• AMASE Mission, NASA
• Mars in the Arctic, ESA
• Exploring Mars on Earth: The Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition, Planetary Society
• AMASE student blog: Arrival at Longyearbyen (Blog entries available in right-hand menu)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Winner announced in AMASE contest. ESA. 31 July 2007. 20 August 2015.
2. Web site: Student joins AMASE expedition in Svalbard. ESA. 15 August 2007. 20 August 2015.
3. Web site: ExoMars PanCam Field Test Report from the Arctic Mars Analogue Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) 2008. Aberystwyth University. November 2008. 20 August 2015. 14 March 2016. http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160314112818/http%3A//cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/handle/2160/13077. dead.
4. Web site: AMASE 2009 Expedition Takes Off. Astrobiology Magazine. Juan D.. Rodriguez. 10 August 2009. 20 August 2015.
5. Web site: Project 6: Application of Laboratory Experimentation to Flight Instrument Testing . . Andrew . Steele . 20 August 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130305061513/https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/reports/annual-reports/2010/ciw/project-6-application-of-laboratory-experimentation-to-flight-instrument-testing/ . 5 March 2013 .
6. Web site: D6.4.1 AMASE Contribution Report. PRoVi Scout - Planetary Robotics Vision Scout. 31 March 2012. 20 August 2015. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094247/http://www.proviscout.eu/downloads/PRVC_D6.4.1-publishable-Summary.pdf. dead.