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The spacesuit weighs 50 kilograms, the terrain is barren and has never been stepped on by a human - and the earth is around 70 million kilometers away.
A team of five men and one woman explores the surface of Mars - at least that is the scenario.
In reality, they are training for a manned Mars mission in the middle of Israel's Negev desert.
Alon Tenzer, team member Austrian Space Forum
»There are six of us doing a lot of tests in a confined space and under great pressure. There are inevitably challenges. But I trust my crew that we will master these challenges. We learn to work together, we train together and we are very confident. "
Since October 11th, the team has been on their own for three weeks. Amadee 20 is the name of the base station, which consists of two modules - a 50 square meter bedroom and lounge plus kitchen and a second 60 square meter research module. The team members come from Austria, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. In the coming weeks, they will carry out more than 25 experiments: Among other things, they will test an autonomously flying drone, which of course has to work without GPS, they have to map the terrain and maneuver a rover over the rugged terrain. The physical and mental health of men and women is also closely monitored.
Gernot Grömer, Director Austrian Space Forum
»At the moment we have a lot of respect for going to Mars.
Ultimately, the actual mission will take place in 20 to 30 years.
But that also means that the first person to set foot on Mars has already been born. "
The Mars simulation is carried out by the Austrian Space Forum ÖWF in cooperation with the Israeli space agency ISA and the organization D-MARS - due to corona, with a one-year delay.
The goal: make mistakes.
Gernot Grömer, Director Austrian Space Forum
»Our motto is: Fail
quickly, fail cheaply and have a steep learning curve.
Because every mistake that we make here on earth, we will hopefully not make it again on Mars. "
It is the OeWF's 13th Mars simulation.
The isolation phase ends on October 31st.