The University of Western Ontario

Published purpose

This project entitled « Volcanic analogue mission for planetary exploration (VAMPE) » the Volcanic Analogue Mission for Planetary Exploration (VAMPE) will use volcanic terrains on Earth as analogue sites for the testing of new techniques for the future human and robotic exploration of the solar system. Volcanism is a common process on many worlds in our solar system, and can teach us much about the origin, structure, and evolution of our planetary neighbours. The goal of the project will be to test new scientific instrumentation in a variety of volcanic terrains at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, immersing participants in real life science and operations scenarios. This project will address objectives related to Planetary Exploration specifically, it will focus on the Planetary Geology and Geophysics objective by addressing questions related to the origin and evolution of volcanic terrains on terrestrial planets.