A European Mars Simulation Wind Tunnel Facility

We present details of a recently completed European simulation wind tunnel facility which is capable of re-creating the environmental conditions at the surface of Mars, this new addition complements several other large scale simulation facilities at Aarhus University in Denmark. It will be used for the multi-disciplinary scientific study of aerosol formation and transport (on Mars and earth), granular electrification, magnetic properties, erosion, cohesion/adhesion, water transport, UV induced mineralogy, bacterial survival and many others. It will be accessible to international collaborators and space agencies for instrument testing, calibration and qualification. It has been financed by the European space agency (ESA) as well as the Aarhus University Science Faculty and the Villum Kahn Rasmussen fund. The facility consists of a 50m3 environmental chamber capable of low pressure operation (0.02-1000mbar) and cryogenic temperatures (-130°C up to +60°C). This chamber houses a re-circulating wind tunnel able to generate wind speeds up to 25m/s and an automated dust injection system has been developed to produce suspended particulates (aerosols). It employs a unique LED based optical illumination system (solar simulator) and an advanced network based control system. Laser based optoelectronic instrumentation is used to quantify and monitor dust suspension and deposition. This involves a commercial Laser Doppler Anemometer and specially developed instrument prototypes constructed at Aarhus University. Photograph of the new (European) Environmental Wind Tunnel Facility.