01/11/2013

Simulating the Red Planet, on the Pale Blue Dot

16:43 minutes

What’s it like to live—and cook—on Mars? To find out, researchers are simulating Mars missions in Russia, and on the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano. Kim Binsted talks about her study to whip up tastier space food. Porcini mushroom risotto, anyone? And sleep expert Charles Czeisler talks about how humans adapt to the 24.65-hour Martian day. Plus, here’s how to cook on Mars.

Segment Guests

Kim Binsted

Kim Binsted is co-investigator of the HI-SEAS project (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) and associate professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Charles Czeisler

Charles Czeisler is chair of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and director of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Meet the Producer

About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.

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