News

At IdeenExpo 2026 in Hanover, the Cluster of Excellence “The Martian Mindset” presented interactive exhibits showing how research for future Mars missions can contribute to more sustainable approaches to resource use and production on Earth.

As part of the Cluster of Excellence “The Martian Mindset,” Lena Ehlers conducted experiments at Politecnico di Milano to investigate how different electrochemical cell designs affect the production of iron from iron-containing materials.

A University of Bremen student project on producing components from Martian regolith was featured in the Bundestag exhibition “Academic Freedom – The Freedom to Research,” highlighting innovative research for future Mars missions and sustainable production.

How could humans live and work on the Moon or Mars? Dr. Christiane Heinicke, Scientific Coordinator and Co-Lead of the Demonstrator Division in the Cluster of Excellence “The Martian Mindset,” discussed these questions and the research behind future human space missions on the SWR1 programme

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the first “Micro Mission” within the “The Martian Mindset” cluster took place at the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM). The “Micro Mission” is part of the so-called demonstrator, a large-scale experimental campaign.

At the beginning of March, Project Leads and PhD-candidates from all research groups in the Cluster of Excellence “The Martian Mindset” met up for two days in Visselhövede, lower Saxony. During the retreat, the scientists got to know each other, exchanged ideas and took a glimpse into the future.

Mars-like conditions on Earth can best be found in the Atacama Desert (Chile). A group of four scientists has now set off there for a two-week excursion. The researchers belong to the “Laboratory of Applied Space Microbiology” at ZARM.

Just two weeks ago, our Cluster of Excellence „The Martian Mindset“ officially started at the University of Bremen. Today, we were delighted to welcome the State Councilor for Environment, Climate, and Science, Karolina Kumar, to the ZARM. Together with the President of the University, Jutta…

The University of Bremen has submitted a full application and an application for continuation in the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Government. The university enters the race with its high-profile areas Materials Science and MARUM – together with the University of Oldenburg.