Our team, M.A.R.S. UCLouvain 2023-24, will be the 296th crew to participate in the MDRS project since its inception in 2001. It is also the 14th team from UCLouvain. Our crew is comprised of PhD and students.
The rotation assigned to us starts on March 31, 2024, and concludes two weeks later on April 13, 2024.
Romain’s experiment
Thanks to the previous work done by fellow scientists, I will first write a paper on the synthesization of sustainable colonies based on in-situ reaction at different key localization. Based on my theoretical approach, i will then create, demonstrate and test different physical and chemical processes to confirm the validity of my theoretical work.
AI-Powered Mission Support
During the M.A.R.S. UCLouvain mission, team members will be confronted with an unpredictable environment. A great deal of preparation is required to cope with unexpected situations. To support the crew and help them carry out tasks and make the right decisions, I propose to use an artificial intelligence (AI) stored locally on a computer.The AI […]
Alba’s experiment
Scientists know that certain factors related to spaceflights may impact the immune system of astronauts, such as microgravity but also radiation exposure, isolation, and stress. Also, a dysregulation occurs in astronauts’ immunity (pro-inflammatory and Th1 responses) during long-term spaceflight. The goal of my study to evaluate the immune system function before, during and after the […]
Arnaud’s experiment
My research project will focus on the effects of the association of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) and a GABA/L-theanine combination or HRV-BF alone on stress and sleep in healthy subjects. Ideally, I would like to obtain polysomnographs or actigraphs and a heart rate variability measurement tool to evaluate these latter variables. HRV-BF is a […]
Imane’s experiment
The isolation experienced by astronauts during their space missions can cause stress. The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of GABA administration on containment stress. The study will be composed of 2 groups. One group will receive GABA and another group will receive a placebo for two weeks before, during, and after […]
Loriane’s experiment
Human behavior has always intrigued me. So I decided to bring a touch of psychology to the experiment. My experiment will therefore involve obtaining very detailed profiles of the crew members through personality tests, in order to analyze how these different personality types deal with the group’s isolation during the potentially stressful MARS experience.
Louis’ experiment
An overlooked aspect of a Mars exploration mission is the selection of the landing site location. Whether it is for the initial landing, or for the establishment of a base, the chosen location must meet a lot of mission-critical criteria. Most orbital-produced topographic maps of Mars suffer from a of lack of spatial resolution. My […]
Maxime’s experiment
Space is a dangerous and relentless, throwing challenges to everybody who dares venture into the unknown. Collecting and understanding data from an alien world is key to survival, that is why my experiment is going to be about the study of the danger of dust from Martian storms. These storms are not very well understood […]