Maria Francisco, Francisco Lucas and Rosa Doran
Maria Francisco, Francisco Lucas, and Rosa Doran waiting for the event to begin.

NUCLIO and the EXPLORE project were showcased at the Space Education Summit, held on 22 and 23 May 2026 at Nova SBE, Portugal. The event featured two of the EXPLORE-2 analog astronauts, Maria Francisco and Francisco Lucas, who proved to be excellent ambassadors for the project, having recently spent a week immersed in an analog mission simulation in April 2026.

They were able to staff the stand, answer questions and present the project with their own experience. They even spoke to the Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, Helena Canhão. Their participation highlighted the project’s impact, and we look forward to seeing its continued growth and success.

See photos from the event below:

Space Education Summit
Space Education Summit
Meeting with Secretary of State Helena Canhão
Conversation with Secretary of State Helena Canhão
NUCLIO stand
NUCLIO/EXPLORE stand

EXPLORE booth visitors
EXPLORE stand visitors
Showcase hall
The showcase hall
The stand always very busy.
The EXPLORE stand was constantly buzzing with people