Step inside The Airlock Module Podcast, where analog astronaut Yuki Nishimura explores the human side of space exploration. Each episode dives into real stories from Mars simulation crews, scientists, and engineers, uncovering how life in isolation, teamwork, and innovation prepare us for the stars and teach us about life on Earth.
Step inside The Airlock Module Podcast, where analog astronaut Yuki Nishimura explores the human side of space exploration. Each episode dives into real stories from Mars simulation crews, scientists, and engineers, uncovering how life in isolation, teamwork, and innovation prepare us for the stars and teach us about life on Earth.
In this episode of The Airlock Module Podcast, Yuki Nishimura sits down with Dr. Laura Thomas, Chartered Psychologist, space psychology researcher, and extreme-environment explorer. Laura shares her journey from clinical psychology in the UK to analog space missions and polar expeditions, including her role as Crew Psychological Officer for Mars Medics 5 in the Mojave Desert, researcher on the B.I.G. North Pole ski expedition, and Health & Safety Officer at the Mars Society’s Devon Island analog habitat.
Together, they explore what prolonged isolation, confinement, and cumulative stress do to the human mind, from subtle behavioral shifts to breaking points that affect even the most resilient individuals.
The conversation also dives into Laura’s published paper on virtual reality countermeasures for long-duration spaceflight, examining how VR could support psychological wellbeing, deliver asynchronous therapy, and foster connection when Earth feels impossibly far away. Along the way, Laura recounts unforgettable field moments, including a tense encounter with a possible polar bear, and reflects on what analog missions can teach us about resilience, vulnerability, and human adaptability both in space and here on Earth.
Laura’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-thomas-space-psychology/
MMAARS CREW 2301- MARS MEDICS V: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crew2301marsmedicsv/
B.I.G. Before It’s Gone North Pole Expedition: https://beforeitsgone.org.uk/the-expedition
FMARS Crew 17: https://fmars.marssociety.org/meet-the-crew-2/
World’s Biggest Analog: https://www.worldsbiggestanalog.com/
Laura Thomas’ VR Paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/virtual-reality/articles/10.3389/frvir.2023.1180165/full