Between February 1 and 28, 2018, the Austrian Space Forum, in cooperation with the Oman Astronomical Society and research teams from 25 nations, conducted the AMADEE-18 mission, a human–robotic Mars expedition simulation in the Dhofar region in the Sultanate of Oman. As a part of the AMADEE-18 simulated Mars human exploration mission, the Remote Science Support team performed analyses of the Dhofar area (Oman) in an effort to characterize the region as a potential Mars analog site. The main motivation of this research was to study and register selected samples collected by analog astronauts during the AMADEE-18 mission with laboratory analytical methods and techniques comparable with those that are likely to be used on Mars in the future. The 25 samples representing unconsolidated sediments obtained during the simulated mission were studied by using optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. The principal results show the existence of minerals and alteration processes related to volcanism, hydrothermalism, and weathering. The analogy between the Dhofar region and the Eridana Basin region of Mars is clearly noticeable, particularly as an analog for secondary minerals formed in a hydrothermal seafloor volcanic-sedimentary environment. The synergy between the techniques used in the present work provides a solid basis for the geochemical analyses and organic detection in the context of future human–robotic Mars expeditions. AMADEE-18 has been a prime test bed for geoscientific workflows with astrobiological relevance and has provided valuable insights for future space missions.

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AMADEE-18 火星模拟任务返回样本的实验室分析

2018 年 2 月 1 日至 28 日期间，奥地利空间论坛与阿曼天文学会和来自 25 个国家的研究团队合作，在阿曼苏丹国的佐法尔地区进行了 AMADEE-18 任务，这是一次人机火星探险模拟. 作为 AMADEE-18 模拟火星人类探索任务的一部分，远程科学支持团队对 Dhofar 地区（阿曼）进行了分析，以将该地区定性为潜在的火星模拟站点。这项研究的主要动机是研究和登记模拟宇航员在 AMADEE-18 任务期间收集的选定样本，其实验室分析方法和技术与未来可能在火星上使用的分析方法和技术相当。通过使用光学显微镜、拉曼光谱、X 射线衍射、激光诱导击穿光谱和激光诱导荧光光谱研究了在模拟任务期间获得的代表松散沉积物的 25 个样品。主要结果表明存在与火山作用、热液作用和风化有关的矿物和蚀变过程。佐法尔地区和火星的埃里达纳盆地地区之间的类比是显而易见的，特别是作为在热液海底火山沉积环境中形成的次生矿物的类比。目前工作中使用的技术之间的协同作用为未来人类-机器人火星探险的地球化学分析和有机检测提供了坚实的基础。