From Classroom to Mars: European Students Return from Six-Day Analog Space Mission

Nine high school students from Austria, Greece, and Portugal brought the EXPLORE-2 mission to a successful close. Over six days, they lived in a habitat built to simulate Mars, near Monsaraz, Portugal, where they stepped into the role of analog astronauts with remarkable commitment

From 13-19 April 2026, at the Mars Analog Research Station (M.A.R.S) located at OLA – Observatório do Lago Alqueva, the students lived, worked, and explored as if they were on Mars, operating rovers, conducting scientific experiments, and solving real challenges —all without any outside assistance. They alternated through various roles at the MSC – Mission Support Center (on Earth) and at the Habitat (which simulates a station on Mars), including the roles of Flight Director, Remote Science Support, Procedures and Records Officer, Media and Outreach Officer (MOO), Ground Support, Flightplan, Crew Commander and Analog Astronauts 1 and 2.

EXPLORE-2 builds on the foundation laid by its predecessor mission, EXPLORE-1, but with improved educational ambition and operational realism. One highlight was the EXPLORE Experiment Design Challenge, a competition that invited students to propose scientific investigations for the mission. The winning entry came from the Antalya Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) in Turkey: an experiment testing astronaut reflexes before, during, and after wearing Delta suits (the specialized attire students wore each time they left the habitat).

Project lead Gernot Grömer (OeWF) said: “We gave these students real responsibility. They weren’t just following a script—they were making decisions, managing resources, and working as an actual crew. It is a shining example of European cooperation with the very generation that will one day enable our society’s most ambitious journey yet: A crewed mission to the Red Planet.”

“We’re not just supporting students to learn about space—we’re showing them what it’s like to live it,” said Rosa Doran (NUCLIO), one of the key project partners and Chair of the COSPAR Panel on Education. “This mission represents everything we envisioned when we created EXPLORE: young people gaining authentic experience in exploration, self-motivation, self-confidence, teamwork, and scientific thinking.”

Three Portuguese students from took part in the mission: Francisco Lucas, from Agrupamento de Escolas Professor Agostinho da Silva (Sintra), Francisco Bártolo, from Escola Secundária de Paredes (Porto), and Maria Francisco, from Agrupamento de Escolas Frei Gonçalo de Azevedo (Cascais). They were accompanied by Physics and Chemistry teacher Sandra Baptista, from Escola Secundária de Paredes.

For Francisco Lucas, “The past of EXPLORE is an amazing history, the future of EXPLORE is a mystery but being part of EXPLORE in the present is a gift.”

Francisco Bártolo also shared his experience: “Doing science, studying and doing research is a pleasure and I am very thankful of doing this mission and to contribute to the world of science in my lifetime.”

And Maria Francisco shared with us that the EXPLORE project was more than just the analog mission behind it: “The EXPLORE project is amazing, I made new friends, learned more about the analog missions and also learned more about science. I really enjoy the project, it was an amazing idea, and I’m grateful for having the opportunity to be here.”

The teacher Sandra Baptista added that “Watching these young students work on this project, taking on their assigned roles with such dedication and professionalism, solving problems together and establishing a strong bond of friendship, trust and respect in such a short time makes me proud to be a science teacher. I believe that with them, the future of humanity is in good hands.”

Also participating in the mission were the Greek students Alexandros Papathanasiou from American Farm School, and Andrianos Lalagkas and Danai Argyriadi from Ellinogermaniki Agogi in Greece, accompanied by teacher Eleni Krokou; and the Austrian students Ąžuolas Račinskas from Amadeus International School Vienna, Lisa Nöstler from Europagymnasium Auhof Linz, and Lena Kappeller from Bundes Real Gymnasium in der Au, accompanied by teacher Marigold Muchmore.

Just like EXPLORE-1, the second iteration of this mission also received significant attention from schools and the media. The students organized online interviews with Portuguese and Austrian schools, as well as a short live call to the ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordiwjk (Netherlands). The mission was featured in important Greek, Austrian and Portuguese news outlets, such as the online newspaper Cyclades Open in Greece, the HitRadio OE3 and the daily newspaper Österreich in Austria, and the TSF radio and SIC TV station in Portugal. Lusa, the biggest Portuguese news agency, visited the mission and, once again, issued a media press to Portuguese media, and the mission was featured in the online editions of Observador, Jornal de Notícias, Notícias ao Minuto, and many other national and local newspapers, magazines, and online platforms.

Below, some photos of the Mission. The photos come in different formats — click each one to enlarge:

This mission was a joint effort by the EXPLORE project partners: the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), NUCLIO, the Greek school Ellinogermaniki Agogi (EA), the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), and the Alqueva Lake Observatory (OLA).

Any school can take part in the EXPLORE project through the program’s virtual toolkit, bringing analog space exploration into classrooms worldwide. In the future, the Monsaraz Analog Research Station shall be open to students for these week-long experiences.

Visit the EXPLORE website at explore-project.eu. Follow the EXPLORE project on social media: Instagram, Facebook.

(Parts of this article were adapted from the EXPLORE – COSPAR Press Release)