After months of preparation, our nine analog astronauts (AA), from Austria, Greece and Portugal, stepped out of their normal everyday lives into an extraordinary adventure. They are the first high school students to undertake a five-day mission in a simulated Mars environment and they impressed their Space Coaches and the EXPLORE partners with their dedication and adaptability.
From day 1, when they first visited the Mission Support Centre (MSC) and the habitat, located 2 km from Monsaraz in the Portuguese region of the Alentejo, they soaked up the new experiences and took to their roles and responsibilities with professionalism. Taking turns to be Flight Director, Remote Science Support, Procedures and Records Officer, Media, Ground Support, Flight Plan, and field crew (Crew Commander and AA1 and AA2), they ran the mission by themselves, with no help from outside.
As Angelika and Nestoras (two of the students from Greece) said: “EXPLORE is not just a project – it’s a journey into the unknown, where curiosity lights the path and discovery writes the story.”
From start to finish, our EXPLORE 1 analog astronauts fulfilled their mission thoroughly. This involved a multitude of tasks, from organising EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activities) with the Field Crew in the habitat, to scheduling–and often re-scheduling–the planned science experiments, writing their reports, tracking their waste and more problem solving than they had expected! All of this took place in English, the language of international cooperation, and they learned very quickly to communicate clearly, to avoid (simulated) fatal incidents.
Because of the exceptional nature of this analog mission, media interest was intense. The local Portuguese media covered our intrepid student astronauts during the week and it wasn’t long until the national –and international–media caught up, attracting coverage by Portuguese TV channel SIC and national press Público and Forbes Portugal, to name but a few. Our students had to organise online interviews with Austrian schools, and a radio station, HitRadio OE3.
What is more, the EXPLORE project was also highlighted in the COSPAR statement during the COPUOS plenary meeting on 30 June 2025 of its 68th session, delivered by COSPAR General Counsel Niklas Hedman. Read the statement here.
We’ll be bringing you more details of the mission very soon: stay tuned to the mission page!