ISAE-SUPAERO Analog Space Mission

Call for Scientific Projects
MDRS Crew 342

February 14, 2027 – March 13, 2027 • Utah Desert, USA

For the thirteenth time, a crew of seven students from ISAE-SUPAERO has been selected to embark on a month-long analog mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah. The primary objective is to conduct scientific field experiments and technology demonstrations within a simulated Martian habitat to prepare for future human exploration.

This call for projects is open to research groups, companies, student teams, and start-ups looking to deploy experiments in an isolated, high-fidelity environment.

The Station

The MDRS, owned and operated by the Mars Society, simulates Martian surface constraints. Located in a geologically relevant desert region, it offers complete isolation. The infrastructure includes a two-story living module (Hab), a scientific dome, a greenhouse, two telescopes, and an engineering repair module.

While standard rotations last two weeks, our crew has the opportunity to utilize the station for a full month. The simulation enforces strict constraints: limited resources, dehydrated food supply, delayed communications, and a rigorous operational schedule. Several times a week, crew members will perform Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) fully suited up for 3 to 4 hours to deploy equipment and collect data.

The Crew & Operations

Supervised by Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez (professor and researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO), the team consists of 7 roles: Commander, Health and Safety Officer, Crew Engineer, GreenHab Officer & Biologist, Scientist, Astronomer, and Scientific Journalist.

Every selected project will be assigned to a specific crew member who takes responsibility for its on-site execution. Time slots are precisely integrated into the timeline based on your technical requirements. To guarantee proper execution, selected project teams are responsible for providing clear experimental protocols and training the crew members before departure.

Submission Deadlines

The selection committee reviews applications on a rolling basis and will contact teams regularly for video interviews. We advise submitting your project as early as possible.

Requirements & Logistics

• Workload: The project must not exceed 2 hours of work per day for the crew. Note that Sundays are mandatory rest days (following ISS protocols).
• Financials: Selected teams agree to contribute 600 Euros toward the rental and logistics costs of the station.
• Equipment: The project team supplies all required hardware and covers round-trip shipping costs to the USA. Certain hardware cannot fly and must be sourced locally in advance.
• Support: During the mission, your team must be able to respond to technical questions from the crew within 24 hours via email (during our daily 2-hour communication window).
• Publications: If data collected leads to a scientific publication, it is recommended to include the executing crew member as a co-author.

Ethics & Institutional Review Board (IRB)

If your experiment involves human subjects (biometrics, psychology, human factors), the protocol must be approved by an ethics committee in your home country and validated in the US via an IRB.

Previous crews have worked with the HML IRB committee (healthmedialabirb.com) using an expedited review process (approx. $750, takes a few days for minimal risks). Obtaining and submitting a valid IRB clearance before January 10, 2027, is the sole responsibility of the project team.