MDRS Crew 48
The AustroMars Project
April 2-22, 2006
AustroMars Project Mission Links

The entire AustroMars project team is comprised of more than 130 volunteers and professionals from various disciplines ranging from engineering, science, programming, medicine, media specialists and many more. The local team in Utah is comprised of 16 people including 9 people flight crew, 6 of which will live and work at the MDRS under strict isolationMars-analoge protocols after a 1-week on-site training periode, plus support technicians and media teams. More than 30 people will manage the Mission Control Center hosted by the Christian Doppler-School in Salzburg/Austria, supported by Mars Society CapComs as Back-up and in an advisory/consulting function and various back-seat teams across Austria, The Netherlands, Germany and the United States. 17 experiments will be carried out, involving 26 research institutions. 182 people have been applying for the flight crew, which has been selected through rigorous medical and psychological testing, starting their Flight Crew training in December 2005.

Name	Speciality
Norbert Frischauf	Commander
Alexander Soucek	Executive Officer
Gernot Gröemer	Health & Safety Officer
Christian Hutsteiner	Flight Engineer
Christoph Kandler	Mission Specialist Planetary Sciences
Markus Spiss	Mission Specialist Life Sciences
Johannes Nendwich	Back-up Life Sciences
Rene Vidalli	Back-up Planetary Sciences
Johannes Gross	Back-up Flight Engineer

Norbert Frischauf	Norbert Frischauf, born 1968, holds a master of engineering degree from the Technical University Vienna; International Space University summer school (Houston/Texas). Member of the Space Generation Advisory Council (Board of Mentors). Research activities at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (Geneva/Switzerland), project manager of various ÖWF-events (e.g. the Science Fiction Week). System engineer of the european LunarSat mission and future studies and -technologies at the European Space Technology Centre of the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. At present act as high-technology consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in Europe.
Alexander Soucek	Alexander Soucek, born 1978, studied law at the Paris Lodron University, Salzburg, master of space studies at the International Space University in Strassbourg/France. Research activities in the field of space law and space policy at the Space Policy Institute, George Washington University, Washington D.C., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the United Nations (Vienna), the German Space Operations Center (Darmstadt, Germany); member of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL), project manager of austrias largest space contest "spacecity salzburg". Flight Crew 37th ESA Parabolic Flight Campaign. At present working for the European Space Agency in the field of Earth Observation Ground Segment in Frascati (Italy).
Gernot Gröemer	Gernot Gröemer, born 1975, masters degree in astronomy (Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck), International Space University summer school (Houston/Texas), teaching assistent at the ISU summer school (Cleveland/Ohio). Member of the Space Generation Advisory Council (Board of Mentors). Various research sojourns in Italy, USA and Chile. Outreach coordinator of the european lunar mission LunarSat, simulation of a crewed expedition on Mars in Utah. Flight Crew 37th ESA Parabolic Flight Campaign.
Christian Hutsteiner	Christian Hutsteiner, born 1972 in Innsbruck, grown up in the tyrolean mountains, professional school for aviation in Langenlebarn, secondary school for mechanical engineering and aviation in Eisenstadt, draftee time in Graz at the military airport at the Saab S-35 Dragon homebase and 1994 education to get a helicopterpilot, until now working as a pilot on Utility helicopter S-70 Black Hawk and AB 212 Huey in Langenlebarn, repeated emergency trainings on Simulators in West Palm Beach/Florida and Stockholm, training for physiological behaviour in the aviation in Königsbrück/Deutschland, survivaltraining with special forces, several missions abroad in Albania and Kosovo.
Christoph Kandler	Christoph Kandler, born in 1974, studies of geodesy at the University of Innsbruck and the University of Technology in Graz, completed his degree in civil engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) in 1997 with emphasis on geo-information, employed at technical consultant DI Weiser for three years, since 2000 freelance technical consultant for surveying as director of Weiser-Kandler Civil Engineering OEG in Schwaz/Tyrol, main focus on gps-measurements, technical surveying and terrestrial laserscanning, realisation of several new projects especially in the area of gps-aided monitoring of landslides and technical surveying. Married with Heidrun since 2000, their favorite hobby at the time: their son Paul (15 months).
Markus Spiss	Markus Spiss, born 1977, study of Biomedical Science at the University Hospital Innsbruck. Diploma thesis at the Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute in Innsbruck, collaboration at international research projects at the biochemical department of the University Zurich and at the oncology department of the Medical University in Zürich. Since 2 years Application Scientist at a renowned medical robotic company in Switzerland. Paramedic at the Austrian mountain Rescue Foundation and member of the Society of Alpine and Altitude Medicine.
Johannes Nendwich	Johannes Nendwich, born 1969 in Waldviertel/Austria, Highschool in Krems, study of technical physics (in parts also technical mathematics) at the Technical University Vienna. Study of astronomy at the University Vienna. Placement/Contract for services/scholarship at the research center Seibersdorf. 1995/1996 serving at the Austrian Army. Research Promotion Projects at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Vienna, software projects (document -identification, -registration and -processing), Enviromental NGO Engagement and cave explorer.
Rene Vidalli	Rene Vidalli, born in 1966, 1976-1983: HIB Liebenau (public school emphasising physical education), 1983-1984: visiting highschool in the USA, 1984-1986: BORG Graz (high school), graduating with Matura (general qualification for university entrance), 1986-1987: volunteering in the Austrian Army for one year, 1996-2002: studies of sport sciences, master's degree (Mag.), since 1990: croupier at Casinos Austria. Marathons in Graz, Vienna and London, several triathlons (among them two ironman triathlons in Klagenfurt in 2004 and 2005).
Johannes Gross	Johannes Gross, born 1979 in Vienna, International Study Program Petroleum Engineering at Mining University of Leoben and at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. Technical training at appropriate energy companies in Austria, Germany and Albania. Board member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Student Chapter Leoben (2001 - 2003). Partizipatipion at various European Student Council Meetings. Project Assistant for emissionprognosis and airquality at TU Vienna (2004 - 2005). From 2006 training to fieldengineer for Schlumberger Oilfield Services.