!! Deadline has been extended until Friday, 31/01/2025 !!
1. INTRODUCTION
ESA's Exploration Science Programme: Advancing Knowledge, Inspiring Innovation
The European Space Agency's Exploration Science Programme, a cornerstone of its Explore2040 strategy, invites scientists, researchers, and innovators to join us in pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and technological capabilities. Our programme uniquely balances exploration-focused science, essential for enabling future human missions beyond Earth, with exploration-enabled science that leverages our capabilities for groundbreaking research across disciplines.
From the microgravity environment of low Earth orbit to the dusty plains of Mars, we offer unparalleled opportunities to conduct cutting-edge research. Our comprehensive approach spans multiple destinations - including the International Space Station, future commercial LEO platforms, the lunar Gateway, the Moon's surface, and Mars - providing a diverse array of research environments and challenges.
Guided by core European values of collaboration, scientific excellence, and responsible exploration, we seek proposals that not only advance our understanding of the universe but also contribute to solving global challenges here on Earth. Our programme emphasises open science, international cooperation, and the inspiration of future generations.
Developing countermeasures for long-duration spaceflight, investigating fundamental physics in microgravity, prospecting for lunar resources, or searching for signs of past life on Mars, the ESA Exploration Science Programme offers a platform to turn your scientific vision into reality.
Through this Announcement of Opportunity, we invite you to become part of Europe's journey into space, contributing your expertise to a programme that balances scientific rigour with exploration's grand challenges. Together, we will forge new paths in space exploration, expanding human knowledge and capabilities for the benefit of all.
This document provides an overview of the research opportunity offered within the announcement, titled “AO-2024-FLY!’’, as well as the sequence of events starting from submission of research proposals to the selection and implementation of successful proposals.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THIS OPPORTUNITY
2.1 Background - Fly! Feasibility Study
As part of ESA’s commitment to enhance inclusiveness and fair representation, in 2020 the Director of Human and Robotic Exploration of the European Space Agency decided to open a flight opportunity for an ESA astronaut with a physical disability. An initial phase was undertaken to determine which disabilities could be considered. It was determined that the educational and psychological requirements for these candidates would be the same as for the ESA astronaut selection. However, with respect to physical requirements, this initial phase of the feasibility study would allow the inclusion of candidates with short stature or a lower limb deficiency.
With this knowledge, it was ESA’s intention to select a candidate with a physical disability during the 2021-2022 Astronaut Selection campaign with the goal to clear the path to space for a professional astronaut with a physical disability. In November 2022, ESA selected John McFall as a member of the Astronaut Reserve and the candidate to undertake the Fly! Feasibility Study.
The Fly! Feasibility Study aimed to assess the conditions for including astronauts with disabilities to live and work in space. This study focused on offering professional spaceflight opportunities to a wider pool of talents. Key considerations included any potential adaptation of spacecraft and equipment, specialized training programs, and comprehensive feasibility and safety studies. This initiative is a significant step toward making space exploration more inclusive, demonstrating that physical disabilities need not be a barrier to participating in space missions.
2.2 Objective of this opportunity
This Announcement of Opportunity aims to solicit research proposals from entities of ESA Member States for science-focused activities, including payload development, that could be carried out on the ISS during a potential future flight of John McFall, not earlier than 2027. The European scientific community is encouraged to leverage the unique environment of the ISS research facility, also taking advantage of the unique opportunities presented by John McFall’s physical disability.
We encourage proposals from teams with both short (<6 months) and long (>6 months) development timelines, suitable for either short (~14 days) and/or long-duration (~6 months) missions.
The following non-exhaustive list of targeted topics should serve as a guide for your preparation in developing your proposal:
- Understanding Health and Safety Challenges: Gain a deeper understanding of the potential challenges related to health, safety, and operations in space for people with a lower limb deficiency. This research can provide critical data on how physical disabilities may affect space missions and how these challenges can be mitigated.
- Optimizing Inclusivity: Develop strategies and technologies to optimize conditions for individuals with physical disabilities to work and live in space and on Earth. This initiative aims to promote broader inclusivity within the space sector and beyond, demonstrating that space exploration can be accessible to all, regardless of physical abilities.
- Advancing Scientific Knowledge: Contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge by conducting innovative experiments that leverage the unique perspective and capabilities of an astronaut with a physical disability. This can lead to new discoveries and enhance our understanding of human physiology, psychology, and performance in space.
- Innovating Spacecraft Design and Operations: Inspire innovations in spacecraft design and operations to accommodate a diverse range of astronauts. This includes modifications to spacecraft interiors, spacesuits, and mission protocols to ensure safety and efficiency for all crew members.
By achieving these objectives and outcomes, ESA aims to pave the way for a more inclusive future in space exploration, ensuring that talented individuals with physical disabilities can contribute to and benefit from humanity's ventures into space.
Note: Please be aware that the definition and planning of a potential flight of John McFall, and the implementation of potentially relevant proposals, are subject to the outcome of the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in 2025.
3. APPLICATION PROCESS AND TIMELINE
3.1 Application Process
Kindly submit your proposal by clinking on the “Submit Your Idea” button below. Complete all section of the submission form as per guidelines outlined in the call, respective attachments and in the provided proposal template, and upload any additional information as required. Within your proposal, clearly indicate the anticipated development timeline, and specify whether your experiment is intended for a short-duration mission, a long-duration mission, or is suitable for both. Questions on the call requirements and template details can be answered during the Q&A.
Please note that, in parallel to submission, it is mandatory that all submitting proposers contact their national representatives to inform them about their submission and to investigate possible national funding procedures and timelines, as well as probability of funding in order to identify alternative funding sources if necessary. Points of Contacts for each country are provided below (Annex 2).
If you have any further technical questions during submission, feel free to contact the Campaign Manager.
3.2 Timeline
The timeline for this Announcement of Opportunity is as follows*:
- Launch of Announcement of Opportunity: 16/09/2024
- Workshop with Q&A: 12/11/2024 - 10:00 - 11:00 CET
- Submission Deadline of Full Proposal: 15/01/2025
- Updated Submission Deadline of Full Proposal: 31/01/2025, 23:59 CET
- Evaluations and Peer Review: 01/02 – 31/03/2025
- Notification to Proposers: NET mid May 2025
Please register for the workshop with Q&A here. Registrations are closed.
The workshop will take place online via Teams, an invitation will be sent out early November.
The presentations of the workshop can be found as an annex at the bottom of this page.
*Please note that dates are tentative and may be subject to change.
4. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SELECTED PROPOSALS
After positive peer review and technical review of the proposal, the scientific coordinator of the experiment will be notified that the proposal has passed to the definition phase and the project will be added to a pool of activities. It will be the responsibility of the scientific coordinator to convey this preliminary selection to the rest of the science team. The science team might be required to provide experiment-specific documentation upon selection.
Please note that selection for definition does not guarantee selection for implementation, as feasibility issues may be encountered during the definition phase. In addition, each selected science team will be required to fill and baseline an Activity Requirements Document (ARD) and a Data Blank Book (DBB) document. Please also note ethical approval and medical board approval needs to be acquired before an experiment can be implemented. In addition, the science team is responsible for funding their own expenses, including their work, necessary equipment for supporting their activities, travels, etc. It is therefore required that the experimenter requests for funding in parallel to their application (refer to "Who can apply?" section, below).
ESA reserves the right to select only a part of a proposed project if this portion is still of high scientific merit. The applicant will be given the choice to accept or decline such a partial opportunity. If two or more proposals address similar problems and/or adopt similar approaches, it may be requested that the science teams consolidate specific parts of their projects into a single project and work as one team.
