Our team, M.A.R.S. UCLouvain 2022-23, is the 279th crew to take part in the MDRS project since its beginnings in 2001. It is also the 11th team from UCLouvain. Our crew is composed of PhD and Master students.
The rotation that was assigned to us starts the 30th of March 2023 and ends two weeks later, the 14th of April.
Study on the influence of the specific nutrition of astronauts on the microbiota
Thanks to an experiment previously carried out on astronauts, we know that containment has an impact on our microbial flora that we call our “second brain”. But containment will not be the only parameter to have an impact on our micro-organisms. The specific food of the astronauts is obviously a major element and my experiment […]
Study of the biocompatibility of the Martian environment for Terrestrial organisms
Terraforming Mars? Why? Well, because life as we know it cannot survive to Mars’ extreme conditions. But that may not be entirely true. Indeed, some organisms on Earth have the ability to survive conditions that are lethal to most other organisms, they are called extremophiles. But could they withstand Mars’ extreme conditions ? This is […]
Study on Mars radiation
The radiation is invisible and odorless. The martionauts on mars will have to face this invisible enemy much more than we on earth. So how do you protectthem? By deploying a whole series of dosimeters. Each person will have 1, 1 will be put outside, 1 inside, 1 underground and 1 in Belgium to […]
Search for a radiation-shielded site in the Mars underground
Radiation in space is one of the most challenging problems for long manned space missions. Recent proposals have been put forward to benefit from natural shielding, by implanting the astronauts’ base in the Martian underground. The Martian caves should be chosen according to some criteria, such as the effectiveness of the shield, the presence […]
Development of the emergency procedure
The Martian environmentis not suitable forthe survival of human beings. So, what would happen if the protective layer around the astronauts were to be damaged? Then our astronauts would be exposed to the greatest of dangers. They must react fast to guarantee the mission survival. Therefore, a simple and explicit procedure must be defined […]
Space Oddity: reducing stress with music ?
Confinement and isolation is difficult for every crew that leaves the Earth. It leads to stress that can impact the body in a negative way, psychologically but also physically by increasing cortisol and blood pressure levels. One solution to this problem could be listening to music; it’s pleasant and not a complicated strategy to […]
Study of psychological and behavioral adaptation to isolated and confined environments
I have always been interested in people’s relationships and interactions. Creating a strong and unit crew is not easy when you start with a team of foreigners. By completing questions files, making several exercises, mental games and using actual psychological tools I would like to analyze the personalities, emotions, desires, expectations, and fears of my […]
Study on the isolation of social networks
We are constantly connected to social networks and information. So connected that sometimes our relationships with others are impacted. So what would be the impact on us and our relationships with others by being disconnected for 2 weeks as part of a life simulation on mars. For this, I will study the individual use of […]