Phase 1: Design
12 September – 28 October 2022
In Phase 1, your team will come up with an idea for the experiment you want to run on the Astro Pi computers on board the ISS. This year there is a brand new Raspberry Pi Project Design an experiment for Mission Space Lab that guides you through everything you need to know to create an idea and design an experiment for Mission Space Lab.
In summary, you will need to do the following:
1. Organise your team
A team must consist of two to six young people, aged 19 years or younger, and at least 50% of the team members must be citizens of an eligible country. Each team needs a mentor.
The mentor will support the team during the challenge; submit their experiment idea, program, and final report to us; and be the main point of contact with the Astro Pi team.
2. Choose your theme
There are two Mission Space Lab themes you can choose between, depending on what you would like your experiment to investigate.
3. Design your experiment together
This video shows you how all of the sensors work and includes helpful hints and tips to help you to design your experiment.

Preparation
Your idea must fulfil the criteria in the following checklist, otherwise your idea may be disqualified.
4. Submit the experiment idea
Mentors can enter team details and submit the team’s experiment idea through their Mission Hub. Before you submit, you should be able to answer these two questions:
- What is your experiment idea?
- How will you use the Astro Pi computers to perform your experiment?
Your answers to these questions will help us assess your experiment for its feasibility, scientific value, and creativity.