Aspiring Martians

This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe sits down with Keisha Schahaff, a trailblazer whose journey has inspired millions across the Caribbean and beyond. Keisha made history as the first Caribbean woman in space, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s Galactic 02 mission, where she and her daughter became the first mother-daughter duo to reach space together.

Keisha talks about what her flight gave her: the shift in perspective, the overwhelming emotion of seeing Earth from above, and the sense of possibility that stayed with her long after she touched down. She shares how the experience strengthened her connection to her home in Antigua and Barbuda, and why that moment of weightlessness ignited something even bigger: a dream of living on Mars someday.

Joe and Keisha discuss identity, courage, community, and what it means to carve a path for people who have never seen themselves represented in space. It’s a conversation full of warmth, joy, and that rare kind of hope that makes you believe new worlds aren’t just reachable — they’re inevitable.

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A huge thank you to Keisha for joining me today and sharing her incredible and powerful story, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for always supporting this mission — even when I start cheering for dust devils.

This November — the month of elections here in the USA — we’re taking the spirit of civic engagement off-world.

In this Everyday Mars special, Joe talks with Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, an author, researcher, and one of the sharpest, funniest minds thinking about the future of space settlement. Kelly and her husband Zach wrote A City on Mars, a book that takes a wildly entertaining, deeply researched look at the realities of living off-planet. It covers everything from lunar land claims to cosmic law enforcement to the political structures that might keep a Mars colony from descending into either chaos or paperwork.

And yes — there is an entire section on governing on Mars.

Together, Joe and Kelly dig into the government models that might emerge on the Red Planet, which ones might fall apart instantly, what history already warns us about, and why the earliest decisions could shape Martian society for generations. It’s thoughtful, funny, and surprisingly grounding. Exactly the kind of episode that reminds you that space is not just about rockets, but about people.

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A huge thank you to Kelly for joining me today and sharing their hilarious and thought-provoking insights. And if you haven’t already, grab a copy of their book A City on Mars: https://www.acityonmars.com/

Thanks as always to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this mission — even when dinner talk drifts into real estate opportunities on a far away moon."

Frontier Culture: The Roots and Persistence of “Rugged Individualism” in the United States: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w23997/w23997.pdf

Frontier Settlement and the Spatial Variation of Civic Institutions: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/76f8393b-7f33-4433-a7e0-de204bec7ab5

Off-Earth by Erika Nesvold: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047548/off-earth/

This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe sits down with Dr. Shawna Pandya, the first named female commercial Canadian astronaut — and one of the most fascinating humans you’ll ever hear from.

She’s an emergency and aeromedical transport physician, an aquanaut, a blackbelt, and the Director of the IIAS Space Medicine Group, where she leads research into how humans adapt to the most extreme environments imaginable — underwater, in microgravity, and someday, on Mars. She’s preparing to fly to space aboard Virgin Galactic’s Delta class spacecraft as early as 2026, and her work is permanently exhibited at the Ontario Science Centre beside Dr. Roberta Bondar.

Joe and Dr. Pandya dive into what it means to push human boundaries, the delicate balancing act of avoiding burnout, and how curiosity, compassion, and courage continue to guide her every step — or giant leap.

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A huge thank you to Dr. Shawna Pandya for joining me today and sharing her inspiring perspective, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this mission — even when I start researching real estate on uninhabited Arctic islands.

This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe talks with Sahda Haroon — a space advocate, STEM communicator, and unstoppable force for representation and empowerment in science.

Sahda’s story is one of courage, curiosity, and contagious passion. She’s been part of the Mars Generation, a leader in the STEAM Squad, and a voice reminding us that diversity in space exploration isn’t just nice to have — it’s essential. Her journey is proof that when one person dares to stand out, it creates space for others to step forward too.

In this conversation, Joe and Sahda talk about the power of representation, convincing your family to believe in your space dreams, and what it means to be a rebel who does what others won’t. They dive into breaking cultural traditions, giving your daughter wings to fly, and how a single speech can ripple across continents. Plus: exploding habitats, the Mars Generation, and why surrounding yourself with people who remind you of your “why” might be the most powerful decision you ever make.

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A huge thank you to Sahda for joining me today and sharing her incredible passion and work, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this journey — even when my vacation plans start sounding suspiciously like Mars training.

This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe sits down with Ilia-Daniel Gashinbaki — a 17-year-old Nigerian space visionary and the Executive Director and Founder of the Africa Space Foundation.

Daniel’s story started when he was just 11 years old, chosen by Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency as one of the nation’s Space Ambassadors. That experience sparked a lifelong mission: to bring space science and education to communities across Africa and ensure that the continent plays an active role in humanity’s future beyond Earth.

Now, as the head of the Africa Space Foundation, Daniel is leading programs that connect young people with science and technology, host hack-a-thons, and promote collaboration within and beyond Africa. His work is a reminder that leadership isn’t about age — it’s about vision.

In this episode, Joe and Daniel talk about what to do with the privilege you have, the power of cooperation over competition, and how African innovation can help shape Mars exploration. They also dive into solar rovers, budget realities, community pride, and why Daniel sees bringing space to Africans not as a dream — but as a responsibility.

A huge thank you to Daniel for joining me today and sharing his energy and perspective, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this mission — even when I start calling parts of Africa ‘mini Mars.’

Food keeps us alive — but it also keeps us human.

In this Everyday Mars episode, Joe talks with Dr. Flávia Fayet-Moore, or Dr. Flav, a scientist, entrepreneur, and space nutritionist who’s making the future of food exciting again — on Earth and beyond it.

Dr. Flav is the founder and CEO of FOODiQ Global, co-founder of Food is Cool, and an alum of the International Space University’s Space Studies Program. Her work blends nutritional science, genomics, sustainability, and a serious passion for making food fun.

Together, Joe and Dr. Flav dig into what astronauts are eating right now (spoiler: lots of pouches), why nutrition gets weird in microgravity, and how long-duration Mars missions will push us to rethink how we grow, store, and enjoy food. They also explore how what we learn for Mars could make eating better and living healthier easier for everyone here on Earth.

So whether you’re a future Martian farmer or just someone trying to keep your plants alive — this one’s for you.

A huge thank you to Dr. Flav for joining me today and sharing her insights on nutrition in space, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Fcebook group, and to my family for always supporting this mission — even when the kitchen experiments start looking a little too astronaut-ready.

For our episode on Pets on Mars: https://www.aspiringmartians.com/episodes/everyday-mars-pets-on-mars

Check out some more weird sheep facts in our Clothing on Mars episode: https://www.aspiringmartians.com/episodes/everyday-mars-fashion

Dr. Flav's paper "A food "lifeboat": food and nutrition considerations in the event of a pandemic or other catastrophe": https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18072916/

This week on Aspiring Martians, we’re doing something special.

Just before the government shutdown, NASA worked with us to make sure we could sit down with members of the CHAPEA 2 crew — and two days after the hatch sealed, those interviews are now here.

The CHAPEA 2 mission officially began on October 19, 2025, when four volunteers — Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, Matthew Montgomery, and James Spicer — entered NASA’s Mars Dune Alpha habitat at Johnson Space Center in Houston. For the next 378 days, they’ll live and work as though they’re on Mars, facing communication delays, isolation, limited resources, and simulated spacewalks — all to help NASA understand how humans might live and thrive on the Red Planet.

In this exclusive double episode, Joe speaks first with Matthew Montgomery, CHAPEA 2’s Science Officer — a hardware engineer from Los Angeles whose work spans robotics, lighting systems, and controlled environment agriculture. Then, in part two, Joe talks with James Spicer, the mission’s Flight Engineer — a technical director with deep experience in spacecraft systems, satellite communications, and aerospace design.

Together, they discuss how their love of science and exploration began, what it’s like to commit to a full year of isolation, how they see the future of Mars exploration, and what keeps them motivated when the sky overhead is simulated and Earth is just a signal delay away.

It’s an inspiring look at the people helping pave the path to Mars — from inside a habitat built for the future.

A huge thank you to Matthew and James for joining me today and sharing their insights and imagination, to Kelsey over at NASA for coordinating all of this, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this journey — even when the dinner table becomes a Mars landing debate.

This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe talks with Dr. Dianne McGrath — explorer, sustainability expert, and one of the final 100 Mars One astronaut candidates.

Dianne grew up in the wide open stretches of the Australian Outback, where curiosity was her first compass. That same spirit carried her from studying environmental engineering and food sustainability to applying for a one-way mission to Mars — and, just for good measure, sailing around the world in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

In their conversation, Joe and Dianne talk about what it means to grow up surrounded by vastness, the power of curiosity to guide a life, and what Mars One taught her about humanity’s limits and hopes. They also explore the strange, beautiful parallels between being alone in the middle of the ocean and being alone in space — where your closest neighbors might be the crew of the International Space Station passing silently overhead.

A huge thank you to Dianne for joining me today and sharing her incredible journey and perspective, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this mission—even when it involves talking about imaginary space monsters over dinner.

This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe talks with Alejandro Perez — a biomedical engineer turned space educator whose energy is strong enough to replace your morning espresso.

Alejandro’s path started in Connecticut, where he grew up obsessed with how both nature and machines worked. He’s studied tissue engineering, led human stress experiments, worked on Martian regolith and plant genetics research with NASA’s CASIS division, built agricultural robotics for Mars, and now teaches kids and visitors about space at the Kennedy Space Center.

In this conversation, Joe and Alejandro talk about inspecting diesel tanks, emotional Milky Way moments, and what it really means to be a shark. They dive into the value of good mentors, driving your dream forward even when no one’s cheering you on, harnessing the “radiation power of a black hole,” and how Mars might just help us make life better back on Earth.

A huge thank you to Alejandro for joining me today and sharing his incredible energy and curiosity, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this journey, even when it means making me avgolemono to chase this stupid cold away.

In this Everyday Mars special, Joe explores a question that’s equal parts science and heart: which pets might one day travel with us to Mars?

Last month we looked at dogs and cats, and why they’re unlikely to be early spacefarers. This month we turn to everything else — from goldfish that bred successfully in orbit to quail chicks hatched on Mir, from cockroaches conceived in space to tortoises that circled the Moon. We trace the long history of animal spaceflight and consider what it tells us about companionship, resilience, and wellbeing for future settlers.

To make sense of it all, Joe is joined by Dr. Jamie Foster, Full Professor at the University of Florida’s Department of Microbiology and Cell Science. Dr. Foster has conducted multiple experiments on the Space Shuttle and ISS, studying how microgravity impacts microbes and their animal hosts, and how engineered microbes could help keep astronauts healthy during long missions. She also leads initiatives that connect research, startups, and commercial launch providers to bring the benefits of space biomanufacturing back to Earth.

Together, they explore why pets aren’t just cute companions, but potentially powerful tools for stress relief and mental health during the most extreme journey humanity has ever attempted.

A huge thank you to Dr. Jamie Foster for joining me today and sharing her expertise, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this mission—even when it means hearing me get excited about sea monkeys on Mars.