Aspiring Martians

From Armenia to Mars with Hanna Harutyunyan

For the 50th aspiring Martian feature, Joe sits down with Hanna Harutyunyan: robotics and mechatronics engineering student, researcher, and analog astronaut widely recognized as Armenia’s first analog astronaut. Hanna has participated in analog missions at the Analog Astronaut Training Center in Poland and LunAres Research Station, supported the Austrian Space Forum’s AMADEE-24 Mars simulation in Armenia, and worked with the student run analog program Asclepios to help train future astronaut crews. In this conversation, we discuss growing up in Armenia with dreams of space exploration, learning to navigate rejection and isolation, why kindness may be one of the most important astronaut skills, how stress affects human cognition inside analog habitats, and what it feels like to help represent an entirely new generation of aspiring space explorers from Armenia. We also talk about EVA training, mental performance research, analog mission psychology, the future of Mars exploration, and why the future of space should belong to everyone. And as Aspiring Martians celebrates 50 aspiring Martian stories, we’d love your feedback on where the show should go next. For the next 50 aspiring Martians, we want to hear from you: Aspiring Martians Listener Feedback Form [https://forms.gle/bAxjFKAkvqXfaJiY6] ~ A huge thank you as well to Hanna for joining me today and sharing her story and time, and of course thank you to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project.

Designing Human-Centered Habitats for Mars with Arshleen Kaur Sahni

This week on Aspiring Martians, I’m joined by Arshleen Kaur Sahni, a space architect, researcher, analog astronaut trainee, and the founder of Arkasa. As a child in India, Arshleen would spend hours staring at the Moon from her window, completely captivated by space. Years later, after discovering the field of space architecture almost by accident, she found a way to combine her love of space, human psychology, and design into a career focused on one enormous question: How do we build places where humans can truly live beyond Earth? Through Arkasa, Arshleen and her team are exploring lunar habitats, Mars analog stations, astronaut psychology, sustainable systems, biotechnology, and human-centered space design. Her work spans everything from hydroponic lunar living concepts to analog astronaut training systems designed to make space exploration more accessible and inclusive. In this conversation, we talk about what space architecture actually is, why the future of Mars habitats may depend as much on psychology as engineering, how analog missions changed the way she thinks about comfort and isolation, why many early space habitats feel so sterile, the tension between survival and beauty in extreme environments, how culture and identity may shape future settlements beyond Earth, why collaboration across disciplines matters so much, how Arkasa is trying to make analog astronaut experiences more accessible to everyone, and why the future of living in space might depend on remembering what makes us human in the first place. Find out more about Arkasa at their website www.arkasa.in ~ A huge thank you to Arshleen for joining me today and sharing her story and perspective, and of course thank you to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project.

Inside the Asclepios Project with Matthew Acevski, Ambre Bexter, & Joseph Hong

What does it actually take to simulate life on the Moon… inside a Swiss mountain? In this month’s Inside the Habitat, we go deep into the Asclepios Project, a student-led analog mission program designed to prepare the next generation of astronauts, engineers, and scientists for the realities of space exploration. Founded at EPFL, Asclepios brings together students from around the world to design, train for, and execute fully immersive lunar simulations in underground environments like the Sasso San Gottardo fortress in the Swiss Alps. These missions aren’t just about roleplay; they’re about real science, real pressure, and real collaboration under extreme conditions. Joe is joined by Matthew Acevski, Ambre Bexter, and Joseph Hong, who share what it’s like to go from applicant to astronaut, how mission control operates behind the scenes, and what happens when you spend two weeks cut off from sunlight, normal routines, and, occasionally, basic privacy. From survival training and psychological stress to cutting-edge experiments in robotics, life support, and human behavior, this episode offers a rare look at how we’re preparing for the future of living beyond Earth. And if you’re inspired by what Asclepios is building, you can support their upcoming mission, Asclepios VI, and help bring the next generation of lunar explorers to life. Asclepios VI GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-support-our-student-space-mission ~ A huge thank you as well to Matthew, Ambre, and Joseph for joining me today and sharing their work on the Asclepius mission. And of course, thank you to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project.

The Overview Effect on Mars with Frank White

What happens to the Overview Effect when Earth is no longer the center of your universe? In this special Everyday Mars episode, Joe sits down with Frank White, the visionary behind The Overview Effect, to explore how one of the most profound psychological experiences in spaceflight might transform as humanity pushes toward Mars. For decades, astronauts in low Earth orbit have described a powerful shift in perspective when looking back at our planet, one that dissolves borders, reshapes identity, and fosters a deep sense of connection. But what happens when that view changes? When Earth becomes smaller, more distant… eventually just a pale dot in the void? Together, Joe and Frank unpack how the Overview Effect might evolve across deep space missions: from orbit, to the Moon, and all the way to Mars. They explore whether future astronauts could experience something entirely new on their journey and whether the first humans to set foot on Mars might feel a fundamentally different kind of perspective shift upon arrival. Along the way, they dive into the origins of the Overview Effect, the role of perception and distance, how identity may shift for future Martians, and why this experience may be more than just emotional...it could shape the future of humanity itself. And with today marking the final day to support the #SendFrankToSpace campaign, this conversation also carries a unique weight: the chance to send the man who defined this phenomenon into space to experience it firsthand. Learn more and donate: moondao.com/overview Seeing Is Believing: The Overview Effect Illustrated - https://a.co/d/0gJnoRhr American Revolution - https://a.co/d/0ePG5xXk ~ A huge thank you as well to Frank White for joining me today and sharing his incredible perspective, and a special thank you to MoonDAO for putting together the #SendFrankToSpace campaign and for all the work they’ve done to make this possible. Today is the last day to contribute, so if you want to help Frank experience the Overview Effect for himself, you can head to moondao.com/overview to learn more and get involved. And of course, thank you to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project—even when conversations drift toward how seeing Earth might change everything.

The Art of the Analog with Cassandra Klos

From Mars simulations… to mission control. This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe is joined by Cassandra Klos, a photographer, curator, and analog astronaut whose work lives at the intersection of art, science, and the future of human spaceflight. Cassandra is the creator of Mars on Earth, a long-running project documenting space analog missions, those carefully designed simulations where humans rehearse life on Mars right here on Earth. But she doesn’t just photograph these missions...she lives them. From serving as crew journalist to commanding analog missions, she’s experienced firsthand what it means to simulate life on another world. More recently, her work has taken her even closer to the real thing. As a photo correspondent covering Artemis II, she’s been behind the scenes at Johnson Space Center, documenting mission control as humanity prepares to return to deep space. This episode is about what happens when you blur the line between simulation and reality… and why the stories we tell about space might shape the future just as much as the missions themselves. ~ A huge thank you Cassandra for joining me today and sharing her story and perspective, to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, to Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project.