Space Week - How Will Humans Live in Deep Space - Panel Discussion

Both government and private organizations are fast approaching the moment when humans will return to deep space. Unlike the Apollo Program, this return is intended to be permanent, seeing the establishment of long-term infrastructure and habitation facilities off-Earth.

Within NASA’s Artemis Program, these missions will first focus on the Moon before traveling onward to Mars. As both government and civilian astronauts make their way to these distant world’s, they will be learning how to live and work in extremely unfamiliar environments and facing never-before experienced challenges.

In order for these missions to succeed, we will need to provide for the astronauts physical and mental health, medicine and food provisioning, communications, recreation, etc. In the case of a mission to Mars, they will be further away from the Earth than any previous human for a minimum of three years.

What developments are necessary to support these astronauts and what challenges might they face during these missions?

Our panel of experts considers the role of humans in these upcoming adventures and offers views regarding how best to support them.

• Deep Space Habitation Panel
• Prof Deborah Turnbull | Chair in Psychology, University of Adelaide
• A/Prof Edward Palmer | School of Education
• Prof Volker Hessel | Director of Research, ATCSR
• A/Prof Jenny Mortimer | Waite Research Institute
• Johnny Dady | ATCSR Artist-in-Residence
• Prof Melissa de Zwart | Digital Technology, Security and Governance, Flinders University