Southeast Analog was founded by Vic Paulson, an analog astronaut who experienced firsthand the barriers that often limit access to spaceflight training. To participate in an analog mission at Asclepios, Vic traveled overseas and personally covered the cost of flights and mission expenses. Vic experienced firsthand how opportunities like these required thousands of dollars and significant logistical commitment.

That experience raised a critical question: Why should access to analog astronaut opportunities depend on geography or financial means?

Vic began collaborating with Sara Kapasi, SEA’s Head of Research, Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro, Head of Logistics, and Alan Yeung, Head of Mission Control Center, about creating a more accessible alternative: one that would allow students to participate in realistic analog missions within the United States, while still remaining inclusive of students from different states and countries.

As the idea gained momentum, Vic, SEA’s President, brought together a multidisciplinary student team at Georgia Tech to turn that vision into reality. What began as a shared conversation quickly evolved into a student-led initiative dedicated to expanding access to analog spaceflight experiences.

Today, Southeast Analog is actively preparing for its pilot analog mission in August, marking the next step toward redefining how students engage with human spaceflight.

Analog missions are Earth-based spaceflight simulations that help us understand what it takes for humans to live and work in extreme environments like the Moon or Mars. Instead of leaving Earth, crews operate in carefully chosen settings that recreate key challenges of space, including isolation, limited resources, teamwork under pressure, and scientific research in unfamiliar terrain.

Running an analog mission requires a large, coordinated team working across many disciplines. For this reason, Southeast Analog is structured to mirror real space programs. We bring together students to be part of research, astronaut selection and training, mission control operations, engineering, logistics, and systems development. Students participating in these roles gain hands-on experience and begin to understand what it truly takes to plan, execute, and support a successful human spaceflight mission.

Southeast Analog isn’t just another student club or classroom project, we are a fully student-run analog space program where students take ownership of the entire mission, from planning to researh execution. A central part of SEA’s mission is research. Our analog missions are designed to support student-led and faculty advised research projects that study the challenges of human spaceflight.

What really sets SEA apart is that we run these missions right here in the United States, making high-fidelity analog experiences more accessible to students from across the country and even internationally. Students of all majors and backgrounds can step into real roles, take meaningful responsibility, and gain hands-on experience that mirrors how actual spaceflight programs operate.

SEA isn’t just about observing space missions, we are all about running them, learning what it truly takes, and preparing the next generation of space explorers in a way that no other program in the U.S. currently does.