<p>Inside a huge crater in Israel's sun-baked Negev desert, a team wearing space suits ventures forth on a mission to simulate conditions on Mars.</p>.<p>The Austrian Space Forum has set up a pretend Martian base with the Israeli space agency at Makhtesh Ramon, a 500-metre (1,600-foot) deep, 40 kilometre (25 mile) wide crater.</p>.<p>The six so-called "analogue astronauts" will live in isolation in the virtual station until the end of the month.</p>.<p>"It's a dream come true," Israeli Alon Tenzer, 36, told AFP. "It's something we've been working on for years."</p>.<p>The participants -- from Austria, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain -- all had to pass gruelling physical and psychological tests.</p>.<p>During their mission, they will conduct tests including on a drone prototype that functions without GPS, and on automated wind- and solar-powered mapping vehicles.</p>.<p>The mission will also aim to study human behaviour and the effect of isolation on the astronauts.</p>.<p>"The group's cohesion and their ability to work together are crucial for surviving on Mars," said Gernot Groemer, the Austrian mission supervisor.</p>.<p>"It's like a marriage, except in a marriage you can leave but on Mars you can't."</p>.<p>The Austrian Space Forum, a private organisation made up of aerospace specialists, has already organised 12 missions, the most recent in Oman in 2018.</p>.<p>The Israel project is part of mission Amadee-20, which was expected to kick off last year but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>The forum has partnered with Israeli research centre D-MARS to construct the solar-powered base.</p>.<p>German astronaut Anika Mehlis, the only woman on the team, told AFP how happy she was to be part of the project.</p>.<p>"My father took me to the space museum when I was little," she said. "When I saw that the forum was looking for analogue astronauts, I told myself I had to apply."</p>.<p>Mehlis, a trained microbiologist, will study a scenario where bacteria from Earth infect potential life forms that may be found on Mars, saying this "would be a huge problem".</p>.<p>Visually, the surrounding desert resembles the Red Planet with its stony wilderness and orange hues, though thankfully not in terms of atmospheric conditions.</p>.<p>"Over here, we have temperatures of about 25-30 degrees Celsius, but on Mars the temperature is minus 60 degrees Celsius and the atmosphere is not fit for breathing," said Groemer.</p>.<p>The interior of the base is austere, with a small kitchen and bunk beds. Most of the space is reserved for scientific experiments.</p>.<p>NASA envisions the first human mission to Mars will launch in 2030.</p>.<p>"What we are doing here is preparing a large mission, the largest voyage our society has ever taken, as Mars and Earth are 380 million kilometres apart at their extreme point," said Groemer.</p>.<p>"I believe the very first human to walk on Mars is already born and we are the ship-builders to enable this journey."</p>
<p>Inside a huge crater in Israel's sun-baked Negev desert, a team wearing space suits ventures forth on a mission to simulate conditions on Mars.</p>.<p>The Austrian Space Forum has set up a pretend Martian base with the Israeli space agency at Makhtesh Ramon, a 500-metre (1,600-foot) deep, 40 kilometre (25 mile) wide crater.</p>.<p>The six so-called "analogue astronauts" will live in isolation in the virtual station until the end of the month.</p>.<p>"It's a dream come true," Israeli Alon Tenzer, 36, told AFP. "It's something we've been working on for years."</p>.<p>The participants -- from Austria, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain -- all had to pass gruelling physical and psychological tests.</p>.<p>During their mission, they will conduct tests including on a drone prototype that functions without GPS, and on automated wind- and solar-powered mapping vehicles.</p>.<p>The mission will also aim to study human behaviour and the effect of isolation on the astronauts.</p>.<p>"The group's cohesion and their ability to work together are crucial for surviving on Mars," said Gernot Groemer, the Austrian mission supervisor.</p>.<p>"It's like a marriage, except in a marriage you can leave but on Mars you can't."</p>.<p>The Austrian Space Forum, a private organisation made up of aerospace specialists, has already organised 12 missions, the most recent in Oman in 2018.</p>.<p>The Israel project is part of mission Amadee-20, which was expected to kick off last year but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>The forum has partnered with Israeli research centre D-MARS to construct the solar-powered base.</p>.<p>German astronaut Anika Mehlis, the only woman on the team, told AFP how happy she was to be part of the project.</p>.<p>"My father took me to the space museum when I was little," she said. "When I saw that the forum was looking for analogue astronauts, I told myself I had to apply."</p>.<p>Mehlis, a trained microbiologist, will study a scenario where bacteria from Earth infect potential life forms that may be found on Mars, saying this "would be a huge problem".</p>.<p>Visually, the surrounding desert resembles the Red Planet with its stony wilderness and orange hues, though thankfully not in terms of atmospheric conditions.</p>.<p>"Over here, we have temperatures of about 25-30 degrees Celsius, but on Mars the temperature is minus 60 degrees Celsius and the atmosphere is not fit for breathing," said Groemer.</p>.<p>The interior of the base is austere, with a small kitchen and bunk beds. Most of the space is reserved for scientific experiments.</p>.<p>NASA envisions the first human mission to Mars will launch in 2030.</p>.<p>"What we are doing here is preparing a large mission, the largest voyage our society has ever taken, as Mars and Earth are 380 million kilometres apart at their extreme point," said Groemer.</p>.<p>"I believe the very first human to walk on Mars is already born and we are the ship-builders to enable this journey."</p>