Over Coffee® is on holiday hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one or our top episodes of 2024!

This post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional with any medical-related questions.

“The only thing better than going to space, is going to space with your friends,” says neuroscientist Dr. Shawna Pandya.

In June, 2024, Dr. Pandya received word that Canada’s International Institute for Astronautical Sciences had appointed her as one of three research astronauts, scheduled to fly aboard a first-of-its-kind suborbital mission.

The announcement added one more professional title to her resume: astronaut! (Dr. Pandya’s current, titles include Director of IIAS’ Space Medicine Group, Vice-President of Immersive Medicine at Luxsonic Technologies, Inc.; and IIAS’ Chief Instructor of Space Medicine and Extreme Environments.) She’s also a pilot, aquanaut, educator, speaker…and that’s just as of right now.

And the friends with whom she will be going to space, are teammates Kelli Gerardi and Dr. Norah Patten. Kelli Girardi flew a highly successful inaugural research spaceflight, IIAS-01, in November 2023. Meanwhile, Dr. Norah Patten is an aeronautical engineer and STEM ambassador.

The goals of the IIAS-02 mission, on which the three-person crew is scheduled to fly in 2026, involve advancing human-tended microgravity research.

Dr. Pandya, a/k/a “Astronaut 002”, talked about the upcoming IIAS-02 mission, shared some of the activities involved in team preparations and discussed leadership, discipline and creativity as they relate to her work in space science.

On this edition of Over Coffee®we cover:

• How Dr. Pandya learned of her upcoming spaceflight;

• Her memories of the IIAS-01 mission;

• One of her best creative lessons, so far, from her work as an astronaut;

• How she and her team applied creative out-of-the-box thinking during her work as an aquanaut and in the Ukraine;

• What will be happening aboard the suborbital mission, IIAS-02;

• A general look at one of the research projects from !!AS-01;

• Considerations for the IIAS-02 mission, in the area of women’s health;

• An average workday, as she and her teammates prepare for space;

• One of the most fun experiences they’ve had!;

• Her perspective on pushing the limits, to facilitate access to space;

• A resource she recommends, for learning more about space and astronautics;

• The role of artists and “arts people” in human spaceflight;

• Her advice to the next generation of astronauts (and to anyone pursuing their dreams);

• Why she doesn’t consider failure–or success!–absolute;

• One of her own experiences with “failure” that ultimately helped her succeed;

• Some of the digital technologies with which she’s currently working, at Luxsonic;

• What a “suborbital mission” is, and what’s involved in making it successful;

• Where her highly disciplined approach to her work originated.