You can also find out more about our new laif photographer on Instagram fromThese missions are working on the huge project of preparing humanity for space travel to Mars. To this end, six so-called “analog astronauts” are testing the same procedures and experiments in spacesuit simulators that will later be carried out on the neighboring planet.These missions are working on the huge project of preparing humanity for space travel to Mars. To this end, six so-called “analog astronauts” are testing the same procedures and experiments in spacesuit simulators that will later be carried out on the neighboring planet. March 30, 2024. He will take over the laif account for one week and talk about his work.

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Katja Kemnitz interviewed him shortly before his journey to the next AMADEE Mars mission:

These missions are working on the huge project of preparing humanity for space travel to Mars. To this end, six so-called »analog astronauts« are testing the same procedures and experiments in spacesuit simulators that will later be carried out on the neighboring planet.

The whole thing takes a very long time to prepare. I first heard about the missions myself around eight years ago. Back then, it took place on the Kaunertal Glacier in Austria. During a press day on site, I realized how interested I was in the topic and offered to accompany the next expedition as a photographer. To do this, however, I had to become part of the team and complete the same training as everyone else involved.

During the 2018 mission in Oman and the 2021 mission in Israel, I became part of the simulation itself. The aim was to ensure that everyone involved actually took part in the experiments. There is also an increased risk of accidents on such expeditions, which is why we were taught first aid and how to fight fires with various extinguishing agents. I also assisted in putting on the spacesuit simulators and accompanied the analog astronauts as »safety«. This gave me a hybrid role on site as a photographer and crew member.

The experience certainly influenced the way I work as a photographer. I spend a lot of time planning and preparing for shoots, I can recognize and assess risks and react quickly when unexpected events occur.

Exactly. This is a motif that I generally pursue in my work and why I value this profession so much. For me, photography is a tool for understanding; a way of working out topics.

During my training, it was also important to learn how the working language works, a very functional English radio language that NASA also uses to communicate with its astronauts. As it’s a scientific simulation, I can’t just say: »Hey, astronaut. Why don’t you run up this hill so I can take some great pictures?«

There are precise procedures that have to be followed. A risk analysis is carried out for every field mission, checking what terrain is on the way, what time of day, what dangers, etc. To be able to work as a documentary in this strictly scientific context, you need a deep understanding and patience for how the expeditions and these experiments work.

It really isn’t easy. I find the wait here very exemplary. All messages between Earth and »Mars« are delayed by ten minutes to simulate the distance between the planets.

When a radio message goes on, everyone involved pauses for a moment and listens intently to who the instructions are addressed to. I have always found this brief pause very exciting. There are some portraits in which someone is wearing a headset or holding a radio to their ear. That’s a perfect motif for me – not only because I have enough time to choose the image detail in these moments, but also because it shows this pause.

There’s another reason why it’s very difficult to depict complex technical things: these spacesuit simulators naturally always contain people whose dignity I don’t want to violate. A lot of biometric data is processed via these suits – heartbeats, ECGs and so on. Just like in an emergency room, I have to be careful when this data is displayed on screens: For laypeople, it’s just numbers and curves, but it actually depicts something highly personal. I have to think very carefully about what I show and what I shouldn’t show.

When I started working on the project, the astronauts and the support group lived together in a large camp. The astronauts were only on their own during the actual simulation. It was easier for us to exchange ideas back then.

Now, the six astronauts spend about three weeks isolated in a habitat. During this time, they shouldn’t be aware of the outside world or me as a photographer, which is a big challenge for me. When they are working on the experiments, I am not allowed to walk into their field of vision. Of course, this also influences the composition of the images. As I’m not a fan of long focal lengths, I embed the analog astronauts in landscape images.

I continue to be fascinated by the interplay between landscape and technology. It’s a topic that I really enjoy pursuing, which is why every mission and every expedition is exciting.

Of course, I already know a lot. I notice this especially when new photographers are on location. They are often fascinated by every detail and try to capture everything. I’ve already photographed a lot of things and can concentrate more on the images that I’m still missing for my long-term project.

The location in the Caucasus is currently also very exciting geopolitically. Armenia also has a long tradition of basic research. I therefore plan to stay in the country for a while after the expedition and take photos on site in order to build a bridge between the place of longing, Mars, and the present.

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