Science for Tomorrow: Are we ready to live on Mars?
India and France have collaborated in Space for more than 50 years. The huge challenges of a permanent presence on the Moon and missions to Mars deserve an exchange of experience and best practices.
Under the flagship “Science for Tomorrow”, a panel of 4 experts shared their vision on human challenges during long-duration space missions. The discussion took place on 16th November in Bangalore jointly organized by the French Institute in India and the Embassy of France in India in association with CNES – the French National Space Agency.
The all-women panel of experts consisted of:
- Dr Audrey Berthier from French space medicine research institute and hospital MEDES
- Dr Lalithambika from the Human Space Programme at ISRO
- Wing Commander Dr Stuti Mishra from the Institute of Aerospace Medicine
- Dr Susmita Mohanty, entrepreneur, designer of a space habitat, and graduate of the France-based International Space University.
They exchanged their knowledge and vision on the following topics: how is the human body impacted during long stays in space? What is the status of current science? What will the future research be focusing on (medical counter-measures, drugs, equipment)? In turn, what are the psychological risks induced by staying far from Earth? To what extend will this research directly benefit patients on Earth?
A partner of the event, Dassault Systemes will launch Hackathon on Space in 2022.
The cooperation in space between India and France is a highly promising field. The Science for Tomorrow format will continue in Bangalore to highlight several science topics on which France and India engage together.
Meanwhile, the third Indo-French Knowledge Summit took place virtually on 24-26 November 2021, co-hosted by Savitribai Phule Pune University.
The French scientific and cultural network in India will also conduct more events in 2022 to celebrate 75 years of collaboration between France and India.
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Read more in the media: Risks and rewards of human deep-space travel – Deccan Herald
