It was on Antarctica's most remote stations that prompted scientist Meganne Christian to consider a life in space.

On Concordia, also dubbed 'White Mars', Meganne did some accidental training. She experienced windchills at –104 degrees, 100 days without sun, and profound isolation — conditions the European Space Agency uses to test future astronauts. 

In 2022, Meganne became one of 17 new reserve astronauts for the ESA, out of a pool of 22,500 applicants. 

In this keynote for National Science Week 2023, Meganne shares her insights and explains why a ride on the 'vomit comet' is a pre-requisite for any budding astronaut.