In September 2020, the Martian atmosphere simulation chamber of the University of Malaga came into service. This facility will serve for experimentation on the conditions of the surface of Mars, in particular the atmospheric composition, pressure, temperature, and wind typical of this planet. Likewise, the chamber will simulate solar irradiation conditions with special attention to the ultraviolet range of the spectrum.

Based on a 12 m long and 2 m diameter cylindrical design, the chamber will achieve the following environmental parameters:

Temperature: from room temperature to -90°C

Pressure: – from 1000 mbar to 10-3 mbar

Composition: CO2 and other variants

Radiation: UV-A, UV-B and UV-C spectral ranges

The experimentation conditions in this facility should enable a better understanding of the planet’s surface and serve as a platform for the testing / calibration of instruments and sensors, as well as for the development of new technologies.

Only a few chambers this size are available. The chamber should serve as an experimentation platform for transnational science, involving both companies and public research centers. Capable of accommodating large instruments and devices of dimensions compatible with the payload of planetary missions, the increasing exploration of Mars and other bodies based on robots requires a simulation station for remote sensing with the capabilities offered by this chamber.

Contact: Javier Laserna, laserna@uma.es