Florida Tech Aerospace Alumnus Embarks on 15th Expedition to Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station

conducted two-week simulation in one of the most Mars-like environments

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Have you ever dreamed of going to Mars? Florida Tech Alumna Andy Greco ’10 has already accomplished that goal and didn’t even have to leave Earth. In July 2023, Greco was selected as the lead engineer for the 15th expedition to the Mars Society’s Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada.

When he first received the email looking for members to join the team, Greco never thought he had a chance of being selected but decided to take a leap of faith.

“At first, I dismissed it because I thought, ‘Well, that’s something for someone with more experience.’ But then, I said, ‘Why not? Why not put an application in and see what happens?’” Greco says.

After weeks of interviews, Greco was officially chosen to take the long journey to conduct a two-week simulation in one of the most Mars-like environments on Earth, just 900 miles from the North Pole.

“We used all these analog tools, like spacesuits and rovers, because we want to see what the real challenges are that astronauts are going to face when they’re going to be doing this on Mars,” Greco says.

“We used all these analog tools, like spacesuits and rovers, because we want to see what the real challenges are that astronauts are going to face when they’re going to be doing this on Mars.”

The goal, he says, is to develop solutions to such unique problems by encountering the obstacles here, on Earth, before ever encountering them away from the planet.

“We had 24 hours of sunlight, but there still didn’t seem to be enough time to get all the work done that we wanted to accomplish,” Greco says. “We were putting in 16- or 18-hour days and didn’t even realize it because you lose the visual cue of the sun setting and rising to tell you, ‘Hey, it’s time to go to sleep now.’”

After concluding his expedition at the research station, Greco is even more determined to visit Mars one day.

When he’s not dreaming of space, Greco is a 737 Max liaison engineering team lead in Seattle with Boeing Co. Within this role, Greco oversees a group of 22 team members, assisting mechanics and quality inspectors while they build the airplane.

Greco was nominated as a Boeing Designated Expert (BDE) in fuel systems in January.

“My scope of work is the entire airplane, from nose to tail. That allows me access to different technical subjects that pique my interest at the time,” Greco says.

Greco’s Panther Pride continues to this day, as he works to complete his master’s degree in space systems online with Florida Tech. He expects to graduate in spring 2025.

When asked what advice he would give to students about to graduate and join the workforce, Greco says, “Jump into your alumni network. We’re out here and want to hear from you!”

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