Oman's Mars mission in Dhofar region comes to end

Oman’s Mars simulation mission aimed at preparing scientists for future Mars expeditions has come to an end today. The Sultanate hosted astronauts and scientists from across the globe to foster research experiments for scientific purposes. The experiment was held in the town of Marmul, the capital of the Dhofar, which is geologically closest to the surface of Mars. The government provided all facilities to make the mission successful. The 16-member crew from France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Oman has spent past three weeks in the desert region trailing technologies that could be used during future Mars missions. The team conducted 19 simulation experiments, including tests of spacecraft and robots to collect samples and their movements and their ability to take samples from the terrain. The team also studied about the data sharing mechanism with the robots and the information center located in Austria.