This Week in Space (Audio) TWiS 199: The Obsolete Astronaut? - And a New Report on Crewed Mars Missions
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Feb 27, 2026 Pascal Lee, planetary scientist and director of the Haughton‑Mars Project, discusses Mars analog fieldwork and planning for human missions. He talks about the National Academies' Mars priorities, the search for life as top science, planetary protection vs. exploring water‑rich sites, the case for a Mars surface lab, and how advancing AI and humanoid robots could change who does exploration.
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Artemis Recast As Apollo Style Stepped Campaign
- NASA shifted Artemis to an Apollo‑style stepping approach, delaying Artemis 3 surface landing and using earlier flights to test docking and lander rendezvous in Earth orbit.
- Jared Isaacson pushed faster flight cadence and locking SLS Block 1 design to avoid slow multi‑year upgrades that stall program progress.
Use SLS Block 1 More Rather Than Waiting For Big Upgrades
- Pascal Lee welcomes more frequent flights of SLS Block 1 to make practical use of the existing capability rather than pausing for major redesigns.
- He anticipates a pivot from Gateway toward surface bases and use of standardized Centaur‑like upper stages.
Devon Island Mars Analog Base Tests Realistic Field Operations
- Pascal Lee described building and operating the Devon Island Mars analog base to test suits, vehicles and procedures in Arctic conditions.
- Devon Island features a 20‑km impact crater and Mars‑like geology used for field experiments and public outreach.
