THE IBN BATTUTA CENTRE (MARRAKECH, MOROCCO) FOR TESTING LANDER SCIENCE, OPERATIONS AND LANDING SYSTEMS. G. G. Ori1 and K. Taj-Eddine2, I. Dell’Arciprete1 1IRSPS (Universita d’Annunzio Viale Pindaro 42, 65127 Pescara Italy and Ibn Battuta Centre, Universite Cadi Ayyad Maraleck Morocco, ggori@irsps.unich.it), 2 Faculte des Sciences, Universite Cadi Ayyad (Semlelia, Marrakech, Morocco). Introduction: The Ibn Battuta Centre for Exploration and Field Activity has been set by the International Research School of Planetary Sciences (IRSPS) at Pescara (Italy) to test the hardware and operations for the ESA mission to Mars. Currently, ESA is planning within the frame of the ESA/NASA Joint Exploration Programme to mission in 2016 and 2018. The ExoMars 2016 consists of a simple landing demonstrator while the ExoMars 2018 will consists of a complex rovers that, under the current scenario, will operate along with Max-C. ExoMars 2016 will carry on a small lander, without solar panel, that will “live” on the surface for just a few days. The science payload will be small. An orbiter is completing the mission. ExoMars 2018 is a complex operation and the rover payload represent the state-of-the-art of the geological and astrobiological exploration of the planet. The landing site of ExoMars is currently under study and IRSPS is involved in the engineering characterization. ESA and NASA will select ExoMars 2018 in the future with joint procedures. Of course the facilities of the Ibn Battuta Centre can be used for any other Martian and Lunar mission.

Figure 1. Southern Morocco and approximate location of the field test areas

6006.pdfAnalogue Sites for Mars Missions (2011)

The Ibn Battuta Centre is identifying several sites in the Moroccan desert to be used as testing site for science and operations. This site span from reg-like deflation surfaces, ancient microbical communities, evaporitic dry lakes, deflated alluvial fans, ergs and sand dunes, ancient stromatolitic surfaces, and all the kind of environments, geological facies and astrobiological targets that the geological diversity of Southern Morocco coupled with the desert environment may offer. Mission Description: ExoMars 2016 is a landing demonstrator that ESA is planning to put on the Martian surface. The landing gears of the DEM must be tested both in laboratory and in the field. Several tests are already in preparation. ExoMars 2018 will need of extensive testing of the operation and also of the scientific planning and outputs. The broad barren landscape of the Moroccan Sahara mimic quite well the large low-relief “panoramas” of Mars. The Rover Operation Centre will be able, with satellite link to Morocco, to simulate the rover operations and, in case of cooperation with Max- C, to experiment the complex activities of managing to rovers in over large areas with small or negligible landmarks. Science Merit Related to Mission Objectives: Morocco exhibit an amazing geological diversity. The geological history preserved is temporally huge spanning from Pre-Cambrian to Quaternary. The sedimentary record contains a large number of geological units with microbiological content including the oldest published chemosynthetic microbial mound Silurian in age. Moreover the desert environment offer a large array of different sedimentary environments. Dry lakes with deltaic bodies are also present. Most Important Question Answered by Site: The Ibn Battuta Centre offer several sites with different purposes from operation testing to science analysis. Most of the questions hat can be answered involve operations. In the Ibn Battuta test sites it will be possible to test the operations and understand if the operations are correctly planned, if the scientific planning is performed satisfactorily and if the scientific return approach ro is the one expected. Moreover, it will be possible to test and understand the best operational approach to scientific activities. Logistic and Environmental Constraints: Morocco is a tourist Country and full of tourist facilities. The road system is extensive, but of course most of the operations needing large open spaces and pristine environments will be carried on far from cities and village in the desert. Pistes (off-road tracks) will be used to approach the test sites. Hotels are basically available in every city. Four wheels cars, pick-up trucks, trucks, choppers, etc are available in the Country. Ourzazate and Erfoud (two areas where most of the sites are located) are sites with a long history of filming movies and colossal, therefore, there is quite an experience of outdoor large-scale operations. Summer temperatures are the major constrains to outdoor activities because from June to August temperatures range from 35 C to 50 C. Usually, operative crew spend night and dinner in Hotels in cities nearby the test site. Then they move every morning to the site to perform their activities. It usually takes half an hour to reach the site, but longer transfer can take into account. There is also the possibility to camp in the site area with

6006.pdfAnalogue Sites for Mars Missions (2011)

comfortable beduin-style tents. K-9 guards from private companies protect the hardware left in the filed. Apart from the very busy airport of Marrakech with a number of cheap flight to Europe there are airports in Ourzazare and Errachidia. Rainfall are of desrtic type (heavy showers) concentrated in December to February). Table 1: Tests and activities. Type of test and activity Object of test Logistic Descent systems Parachutes, retrorockets,

airbags Chopper, UAV

Rover operations Visual systems, autonomy, transverse

Large field areas, communications, Martian-like environments

Scientific operations Payload instruments Sites with scientific value Drilling operations and science

Driller Martian-like environments and stratigraphy

Geophysics GPR, shallow seismic, etc Martian-like environments and stratigraphy

6006.pdfAnalogue Sites for Mars Missions (2011)