The new year kicked off well for EXPLORE with the project being presented to more young people, this time in Innsbruck, Austria.
Gernot Groemer, of the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), welcomed a group of 14 high school students and two teachers at the OeWF Spacesuit Laboratory. He gave the group an overview of Mars exploration and analog research, assisted by Selina Brand, also from OeWF.
After this introduction, theory gave way to practise with a hands-on tour of the spacesuit lab. This included a presentation of the Aouda spacesuit simulator and–possibly the highlight of the visit–the ESA Vertical Treadmill Facility. The students took full advantage of their visit to try it all out!
A presentation of the EXPLORE and the student roles in the next mission followed this visit. Given the lively Q&A session at the end, the visit was a hit with the students and we look forward to seeing more of these new faces during the year!