Before and during the  MSP Program, participants develop R&D projects with on-site equipment, materials, and resources. Participants will have access to conduct experiments with Mars Regolith Simulant and we are discussing providing access to a Mars Environment Chamber, thermal vacuum chamber, microscopes, 3D printers,  photobioreactors, electromagnetic helmholtz coils, DNA/RNA sequencer, and more to test and develop research, biology, systems, and mindset.  Enrolled participants choose one or a few R&D projects they plan to develop or collaborate on before and during the Program.

With equipment, workspace, and fabrication tools at local Maker Spaces to design and manufacture systems, students are immersed in teams of three to five people or can lead individual project to advance the learning and retainment of the preferred area of interest, student's passions, and course material. Project Advisors from industry, lecturers, and staff contribute and advise the project development. Each group is expected to develop Final Project Report, to present present during the final days with intentions to eventually submit a full manuscript to a conference paper or journal. The team with the winning design or system that holds the most potential to make life multiplanetary receives a small grant