Aspiring Martians

From Mars simulations… to mission control.
This week on Aspiring Martians, Joe is joined by Cassandra Klos, a photographer, curator, and analog astronaut whose work lives at the intersection of art, science, and the future of human spaceflight.
Cassandra is the creator of Mars on Earth, a long-running project documenting space analog missions, those carefully designed simulations where humans rehearse life on Mars right here on Earth. But she doesn’t just photograph these missions...she lives them. From serving as crew journalist to commanding analog missions, she’s experienced firsthand what it means to simulate life on another world.
More recently, her work has taken her even closer to the real thing. As a photo correspondent covering Artemis II, she’s been behind the scenes at Johnson Space Center, documenting mission control as humanity prepares to return to deep space.
This episode is about what happens when you blur the line between simulation and reality… and why the stories we tell about space might shape the future just as much as the missions themselves.
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A huge thank you Cassandra for joining me today and sharing her story and perspective, to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, to Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project.

What does it look like to prepare for Mars… from a place the space industry often overlooks?
In this episode of Aspiring Martians, I sit down with Isaac Macharia Gathu, founder and president of Mars Society Kenya, to talk about building a path to space where none previously existed.
Isaac is a Kenyan IT technician, entrepreneur, analog astronaut, and one of the leading voices pushing for Africa’s role in the future of human space exploration. Through his work, he’s not only growing a community of aspiring Martians across Kenya, but also developing real-world analog simulations like OASEAS and working toward a Mars habitat in the Chalbi Desert.
His journey has captured global attention, including in the documentary Kenyan on Mars, but what makes Isaac’s story so compelling is not just the dream… it’s the discipline behind it.
In this episode, we talked all about Kenyan pride in space exploration, building Mars Society Kenya, Maasai-inspired spacesuit beadwork, training for a future that hasn’t arrived yet, analog astronaut missions in Africa, creating opportunity where none exists, preparing for the World’s Biggest Analog, the power of representation in space, blending culture with technology, overcoming doubt and distance, community-driven space advocacy, and why pursuing your dream matters… even when the odds say otherwise.

Kenyan on Mars documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s-Gi4Zk0hU
Mars Society Kenya: https://kenyamarssociety.org/
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A huge thank you as well to Isaac for joining me today and sharing his story and perspective, to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, to Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project!

What does it take to build a Mars mission… from scratch?
In this month’s Inside the Habitat, we head to Wadi Rum, Jordan, a place so otherworldly it’s often called “The Valley of the Moon,” to explore MENA, the first women-led space organization in the region dedicated to STEM, inclusion, and human space exploration.
Founded in 2024, MENA is already pushing boundaries, combining education, analog missions, and global collaboration to empower the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. With over 250 students and young professionals involved, their work extends far beyond space, tackling real-world challenges like sustainability, water systems, and climate innovation.
And at the center of it all is Salam Abualhayjaa, founder and CEO, a mechanical engineer specializing in spacesuit design, a science communicator, and someone quietly building the future of space exploration from the ground up.
We talk about what it was like to run one of the very first missions as part of the World’s Biggest Analog, recently featured in National Geographic, and what happens when you try to build a Mars mission in the desert with limited resources, big ambition, and very little room for error.
In this episode, we talked all about what Wadi Rum feels like, building community first, going from nothing to mission, bold leap beginnings, three-week deadline scramble, desert habitat build, bubble dome setup, mission control chaos, two-hour sleep nights, power outages reality, Mars-like isolation, crew psychology shifts, strangers to tension, real-time problem solving, spacesuit EVAs daily, learning on the fly, global analog collaboration, the World’s Biggest Analog, media and momentum, and how setbacks can turn into something much bigger than you ever planned.
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A huge thank you as well to Salam and her team at MENA for joining me today and sharing their incredible work and perspective, to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, to Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project.

Today is one of those days that changes the trajectory of everything.
As Artemis II launches humanity back beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in over 50 years, we’re marking the moment with a special bonus episode of Aspiring Martians.
Because this mission isn’t just about going to the Moon. It’s about proving we can go further.
Artemis II will send astronauts around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, testing the systems, endurance, and operations that will define the next era of human spaceflight. It’s the bridge between where we’ve been… and where we’re going next.
And that next step includes Mars.
To help bring that future into focus, I’m joined by Ben Bailey, a member of NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class Group 24, aka "the Platypi".
Ben’s path to NASA is anything but typical. From building nuclear propulsion systems for aircraft carriers, to flying Black Hawk helicopters in high-risk environments, to becoming an experimental test pilot pushing aircraft to their limits, his career sits at the intersection of engineering, exploration, and extreme performance.
Now, he’s training for missions that could take him to the Moon… and eventually beyond.
This is a short but powerful conversation about what it takes to become an astronaut, what Artemis means for the future of exploration, and how close we really are to becoming a multi-planetary species.
Because today isn’t just a launch.
It’s a beginning.

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A huge thank you as well to Ben for joining me today and taking the time to answer all my weird questions. I also want to thank Anna Schneider at NASA for helping coordinate all of this. And of course, thank you to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project...even when me asking to excuse myself from the table turns into some epic lunar farewell speech.

We’re going somewhere humanity hasn’t quite been willing to go yet… not physically, but conversationally.
Because if we’re serious about building a future on Mars, we have to ask a simple question: are we designing that future for everyone?
This week, I’m joined by Manju Bangalore: engineer, researcher, astronaut-in-training, and founder of Operation Period to explore one of the most overlooked gaps in human spaceflight: menstruation.
From her work at NASA and in science policy to launching a pioneering effort to study periods in microgravity, Manju is helping redefine what it means to build truly human-centered systems in space.
This is a conversation about science, stigma, autonomy, and design and why something that affects billions of people has been treated like an afterthought in space exploration.
If Mars is going to be home… this is part of the blueprint.
Check out Operation Period and their Red Shift Lab on their website: https://www.operationperiod.org/
Dive into more about Manju! https://www.astronautmanju.com/

A huge thank you as well to Manju for joining me today and sharing her time and perspective, to Kayley for helping coordinate and review everything, to Nick Thorburn for the stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, to Jero Squartini for the amazing animations, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the Facebook group, and to my family for supporting this project—even when NASA design decisions become dinner table topics.

References:
Stats on menstruators: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10014781/
World Bank stats: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/brief/menstrual-health-and-hygiene
Original Kotex ad: http://www.mum.org/kotexadwords.htm
Tampax Tampons with Courtney Cox Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmxLW4cO88
100 tampons: https://people.com/nasa-engineers-packed-100-tampons-for-sally-ride-for-one-week-in-space-8781804
Menstruation in spaceflight: Options for astronauts: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/lsm/newsrecords/2016/apr/menstruation-in-spaceflight-options-for-astronauts?utm_source=chatgpt.com
First study to measure toxic metals in tampons shows arsenic and lead, among other contaminants: https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/first-study-to-measure-toxic-metals-in-tampons-shows-arsenic-and-lead
Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024004355
FDA launches tampon safety investigation after study finds toxic metals: https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/fda-launches-tampon-safety-investigation-after-study-finds-toxic-metals#:~:text=Two%20months%20after%20a%20study%20led%20by,its%20own%20investigation%20into%20the%20potential%20hazard.
Menstruation in spaceflight: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/lsm/newsrecords/2016/apr/menstruation-in-spaceflight-options-for-astronauts?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Analysis of menstrual effluent: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6016873/pdf/10020_2018_Article_9.pdf
Next-gen tech can detect disease biomarker in period blood: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/next-gen-tech-can-detect-disease-biomarker-period-blood
MenstruAI: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/05/sanitary-towels-morph-into-test-strips.html
Potential for and challenges of menstrual blood as anon-invasive diagnostic specimen: current statusand future directions: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11305704/pdf/ms9-86-4591.pdf
Ginger for Pain Management in Primary Dysmenorrhea: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38770631/
Effect of fennel on pain intensity in dysmenorrhoea: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3611645/pdf/AYU-33-311.pdf
Comparison of the effect of Chamomile: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bcd0/a6d6c9ffc4012c6178d41662bb0899972723.pdf
Hypatia astronauts:https://www.catalannews.com/tech-science/item/hypatia-astronauts-suggest-using-menstrual-blood-as-fertilizer-for-plants-on-mars