AMADEE-24: Armenian scientists study genetic changes, develop space food for Mars astronauts

Valuable scientific data has been collected during the AMADEE-24 Mars simulation in Armenia, organizers have said.

AMADEE-24 was a Mars analog simulation in Armenia, managed by the Austrian Space Forum. The expedition was carried out in a Martian terrestrial analog and directed by a dedicated Mission Support Center in Austria. A small field crew of highly trained analog astronauts with spacesuit simulators conducted experiments preparing for future human and robotic Mars exploration missions.

The test site in the province of Ararat was selected for its geological and topographic similarity to Mars. 

AMADEE-24 Armenia team leader, founder of the Armenian Space Forum Hayk Aslanyan told reporters that hosting the simulation was a highly important event for the country and the local scientific community.

“We’ve achieved rather positive results in various directions,” he said.

Aslanyan attached importance to international coverage of the event in Armenia. But most importantly, Aslanyan highlighted the involvement of the country’s scientific potential in the simulation. The Armenian scientists involved in the activities received support to conduct their research and studies. Furthermore, according to Aslanyan, as a result of the Armenian scientists’ work valuable scientific data has been collected and its further research will contribute to preparations of a Mars mission.

“For example, we collected data on what genetic changes take place in the period of isolation, what problems could emerge. Scientific research regarding the changes of chromosomes in conditions of the influence of external environment was conducted,” Aslanyan said.

Armenian experts also contributed in developing the diet and physical training plan for the analog astronauts.

AMADEE-24 nutritionist and physical training chief Hovhannes Avagyan said they used AI to develop the plan. “With the use of artificial intelligence tools, we tried to introduce innovative methods in accurately developing and individualizing the diets of the analog astronauts. As the human factor reduces, so does the probability of making mistakes. As a result, we get highly accurate diet for the analog astronauts, for example our nutrition bars and gels. The latter’s advantage is that it isn’t simply food, it keeps the sensation of fullness for up to eight hours,” he said.

Armenia will participate in the World’s Biggest Analog 2025 event in October, he added.