Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) 2006

Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) 2006 is the title of a two and a half week long expedition during the summer of 2006. AMASE is a team of international experts, scientists, engineers and filmmakers.

Expedition objectives

The main objective of the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) is to characterize the geology, geophysical features, biosignatures, and possible life forms of volcanic centers, warm springs, and perennial rivers, settings thought to be analogous to sites on ancient Mars. AMASE have targeded the Bockfjorden area of the Norwegian island of Svalbard, in hot-spring-deposited carbonate terraces.

Equipment

The equipment used out in the field by the expedition, is adapted from off-the-shelf instruments to function in the frigid Svalbard temperatures and to assist in detection and characterization of low levels of microbiota and organic and mineralogical biomarkers. This equipment will be used in a real-time understanding of the environment and thus permits the team to gather samples and test hypotheses with minimal disturbance, and the sample acquisition and analysis methods are providing tests of protocols for future experiments on manned/unmanned missions to Mars.

External links

* [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/amase06_mission.html NASA about AMASE]