#315 Canada’s First Commercial Female Astronaut: Dr. Shawna Pandya

Sapreet sits down with Dr. Shawna Pandya, an Edmonton emergency physician and Canada’s first named commercial female astronaut, to talk about what her training, research life, and travel schedule actually look like. We talk frankly about representation in STEM, being underestimated, and the daily habits that keep a long, uncertain path sustainable including:

• Balancing rural Alberta ER work with astronautics research and training
• Using parabolic flight to practise zero-G science and teamwork
• Tracing a childhood spark from Dr. Roberta Bondar to the International Space University
• Navigating family expectations, immigration roots, and the courage to take detours
• Carrying the weight of representation as a South Asian woman in space
• Handling doubt with the rule: don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from
• Managing a 24-7 schedule by accepting there’s a season for everything
• Sharing details on a Virgin Galactic Delta class research spaceflight and its science priorities
• Treating fitness as daily therapy to prevent burnout
• Learning what it means to be an aquanaut and live underwater at saturation pressure

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Transcript

Welcome Back And Meet Shauna

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome back to Turn It Up. This is Saprete. I'm excited to share my latest episode with you. Let's get into it. Welcome to the Universal Radio Network. This is Saprete. Today I'm joined by someone really special who is not just a physician, not just a keynote speaker, but also an astronaut. And that's right, she's right here from Edmonton. Let's welcome Dr. Shauna Pondia. Hello, Shauna. Hi, Saprete. Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited. I know me and you have been talking about this for years, but hey, given your schedule, all your travel commitments, I'm so happy we're able to sit down today and have this conversation.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Yeah, the stars finally aligned, so I'm really excited to be sitting here talking to you today.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Yeah, so Edmonton, you heard me correctly. Uh, Dr. Shauna Pandia is not just a physician, you're also an astronaut. You're Canada's first named commercial female astronaut and the fourth Indian origin female astronaut. Shauna, that is a huge title and a huge responsibility. How does it feel being who you are and everything that you're doing?

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Yeah, you know, I don't think it's still sunk in. I was first assigned to my upcoming space flight in June of 2024, and every day still feels like a pinch me moment. Uh it's really cool when, you know, we're we're just heads down focused on our mission and the science, but you know, every now and then you have these kind of is this real kind of moments? Like I'll have young South Asian girls doing their science class projects on me, and then they'll send me photos, and it's it's just the sweetest thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

And how does a day-to-day look for you? Because I know I follow you on socials, by the way, I love your social media content. Thank you. And I love how you keep us also connected with the training process and even when you're traveling or even the keynote speeches you're doing. What is it like to be Dr. Shana Pandia? Give us like a bit of an overview of what this looks like.

Life Between ER And Space

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Yeah, I think every day is like a box of space medical chocolates, as in you don't know what you're gonna quite get. Um, but I think the common threads are that every day will be either space medicine or space medicine. So, as you correctly um uh alluded to in the introduction, I'm still also a practicing physician, so I do emergency medicine on the weekends. So um one of my patients called me an ER hobo, which is I think the most accurate term in that I go around to ERs all over rural Alberta, so where I'll be changes depending on the weekend, and then during the weekdays I do my astronautics work, so that involves anything from research, writing up research from a zero G campaign to preparing to fly in parabolic flight. Some people may more commonly know of this as the vomit comet, so you can actually practice for space without ever leaving the earth by flying up and down in a in a aircraft. And um by falling at the same rate as your airplane, you actually get to experience weightlessness. So that allows us to practice key science, test key technologies, and practice as a team for upcoming space flight. So there's a lot, there's a lot of travel at this point. I don't even unpack my suitcase. I'm essentially just a hermit clap hermit crab for suitcases. I just switch out the size of the suitcase depending on where I'm going.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

And these training facilities, where are those based? Are they mostly in, I'm assuming they're not in Edmonton or are there some facilities here as well?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Uh no, we work all over. Um, one of the most important test beds for us is the the Parabolic Flight, and that's out of the National Research Council in Ottawa. And so we work very closely with their flight research laboratory. And so our our laboratory is essentially an aircraft. It's a Falcon 20 jet, and it's uh previously, in its previous life, has been a business jet, but now we use it for science, and so it's a humble aircraft, it fits about six people, um, give or take, and um basically you can change the layout of the aircraft depending on what you need to do for your

Dream Sparked By Representation

SPEAKER_01 4:00

science.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Now, when was that moment in your life, Sean? I really want to know of like when you sort of explored and understood that there is an opportunity here where you can be in the space sector, you could be an astronaut. When was that moment and what was that feeling when you knew that this is something that you want to pursue?

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Yeah, I think it started off from a very young age, and I think this is what the power of representation speaks to. So when I was a kid growing up in the 90s, I watched Canada's first female astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondart, go to space, and this was this aha moment for me as a young kid, thinking that oh, people actually work in space and Canadian women can do it too. So I'm gonna grow up to be a Canadian woman someday. So this woman will be my role model, and she's a neuroscientist, a physician, and an astronaut. So I'm gonna go be a neuroscientist, a physician, and then an astronaut. And so, you know, in high school, there's no question that I was gonna go study and do neuroscience at the University of Alberta. There's no question that I was gonna do medicine after that, and so that really set the stage early on. And then I also learned the value of seeking out opportunities and going down the path less traveled. And so when I was applying for medical school, you know, there's no guarantee of getting in. I wanted to do something that would equally advance my interests in space, and so I heard of this place called the International Space University, and um this place sounds like Starfleet Academy, it actually is kind of like Starfleet Academy. It was a place in France, and I applied. And to my surprise, I got into both medical school as well as the International Space University, and I, you know, this is the first time I had to make a really good but tough decision. And I asked my medical school if I could defer acceptance. They said yes, and so off I went to start this whole new journey, uh, getting my master's in space studies at the Space University. And to the second part of your question, you know, the dream started off very early on, but realizing that I could actually do this for a career, even if I didn't end up in human space flight, even though that was always the dream, that started at ISU because I did my internship with the European Astronaut Center, working with their crew medical support office. So my master's thesis work really lent itself to human space flight and space medicine, and that was when I really started to believe that and realize that people made entire careers out of space medicine. So when I came back to medical school, everything that I viewed in medicine was through the lens of space medicine, and that really was a turning point for me in my career.

Family Support And Being Seen

SPEAKER_00 6:30

You touched on representation. We're gonna get into this soon, but I also want to understand. So this is, I mean, I'm assuming you were at a very young age when you went to France. Was it not daunting? How did your family receive the news when you said that you wanted to become an astronaut? Like South Asian families, we all know what that's like, right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

I think you you hit it on the on the the nail on the head because I, you know, my mom was understandably freaked out that you know her her daughter, who was like 22 at the time, was like, hey, I'm packing up and moving to France. And I think I remember when we were at the airport and she and my dad were dropping me off, and she was like, You have to promise to come back. And I was like, Well, I'm going to medical school next year. That's not even a question. Um, but you know, it really I think it took a lot for her to to, you know, let her kid go across the world. Um, but also I think it is it's in my DNA in that I'm first generation. My parents, you know, it took me a long time. It took adulthood and the the benefit of hindsight to look back and realize, well, they started it. They packed up everything they had in tea suitcases in the 80s and moved from India all the way to Canada, landing in Brandon, Manitoba, in rural Canada in the dead of winter, minus 35 degrees Celsius. Don't know what they were thinking. Um, but they really that adventure was with you know with us with me, with them from the start. And so um, you know, I think just growing up, seeing that, you know, hard work was always part of the of the equation, seeing that doing hard things and just moving forward one step at a time, that was always really critical. And so that just grew up being part of my normal.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

And by the way, I did meet your parents at the Riverhawk South Asia night last year. They are so sweet, but also just seeing how excited and proud they were of you was so rewarding. I remember you did the opening pitch, you did the national anthem, American and Canadian. I'm telling you guys, she's very talented. So you're an all-arounder, and I just remember having those conversations with your parents, and I would say that they are so proud of you.

SPEAKER_01 8:35

Yeah, you know, they love they love seeing me in my element. You know, I always say I'm like, you know, if you're bored, you don't have to come, and they they thrive off of this. So when I have local events, they're like, hey, can we come to like do you have extra seats? Um and it's really sweet. I think for them, you know, they have given up so much. They to give you, you know, to to to quantify that. Like my brother and I grew up thinking that 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. was the normal work day, which now we know it's not. Um, but they just worked hard. And so, you know, for them to see that that sacrifice they made for their kids has had some um payoff, you know, I think that's really important for them, and I'm deeply appreciative of all of that.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

No, absolutely. Now, Sean, I know we talked about representation briefly. Uh, South Asian females in the space sector, almost unheard of. Like we said, you're the fourth Indian origin female. So that representation, as you said, growing up, there wasn't much. How does it feel now knowing that the younger South Asian girls, whether they're 12, 15, 10, they look up to you. And like you said, some of them are doing research papers on you. How does that feel to you knowing that you are the representation for them?

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Yeah, you know, it's it's never something that I I set out to do, but it, you know, it's always really, really humbling. Um, you know, I think my most poignant moment was I was actually giving a keynote for women in science and engineering and STEM fields event at the University of Alberta. And this young woman, she was uh an engineering undergraduate student, she was South Asian, and she came up to me afterwards and she made sure to tell me that seeing someone like you up there makes me realize I can do this. And that was, you know, just it was so direct, but it was so poignant and important for me. Um, and even now when I go to space events, space conferences, to your point earlier about social media, you know, it it is an extra commitment, but it really um is rewarding when I go to these events, and young professionals say, Thank you for sharing your journey, thank you for sharing what you do, thank you for bringing us along because it gives them insight into you know what this work entails. That sometimes it's a lot of hard work, sometimes it's a lot of um sleep deprivation, um, sometimes it's not so glamorous. There's a lot of meetings, a lot of science, a lot of paperwork, but at the end of the day, if this is what you love to do, you know, we're happy to give a glimpse of behind the scenes of how you know how we work as a team and how I work um as a commercial astronaut and

Handling Doubt And Time Pressure

SPEAKER_01 10:58

as a physician.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

And did you ever feel maybe in your earlier days, or maybe even now being a female and also being from a visible minority that you were ever like underestimated?

SPEAKER_01 11:07

You know, I think I get that all the time, and I, you know, I don't even worry about that. My, you know, you alluded to my upcoming space flight, and I'm lucky enough to be not just going to space, but going to space with two good friends, and um, so we've unwittingly become the world's first all-female research astronautics crew. And my friend Kelly, she's already flown. I was the lead medical scientist on her flight. Um, and so she has this great quote that says, Um, don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from. And that's become so important because you know, you're going to be underestimated. Um, you know, you're not going to be necessarily um given full full respect for everything that you've done or you've achieved or that you've sacrificed. But does that always matter? I think at the end of the day, if you're happy with your work and you're working with people you deeply respect, I think that's really, really critical.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Absolutely, that's great advice. Don't take criticism from someone that you want to take advice from. I think that's beautiful when you think about it, right? Yeah. Uh, what are some of those challenges that you would say you have faced and like how did you navigate those challenges?

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yeah, I think you know, the the types of challenges and the types of advice that become relevant depend on your stage of life. And so I I do a lot of mentorship, I do a lot of outreach, and so you know, I often talk to high school students and um university students, and I I think it's really easy to say with hindsight, you know, believe in your goal, you know, do work hard, just make sure that you know that not even the sky is the limit. And it's easy to say that now that you're on the other side, but when I started out, there was no guarantee of spaceflight, there was no guarantee of um being an astronaut in the end. It's it's a hard business. And even in the age of having the ability to be either an agency astronaut, for example, flying with the Canadian Space Agency, or being a commercial astronaut like I do, these these opportunities are still few and far between. And so if there's no guarantees, make sure you love every step of the journey as well. Like I love medicine, I love space medicine, um, I love human space flight as a whole. So I've loved everything I've done, even when the outcome was uncertain, even when um, you know, there was no guarantee of a flight at the end of it. And so for people who are just starting out, it's really important to know that like don't go become an engineer because that's what your family wants you to do, that's what if that's what you hate but you think will get you to a space flight. It's it's gonna be a long journey. So that's you know, for someone who's just starting out, that would be my advice. And then my bigger challenges these days is time management. You know, I I essentially have a 24-7 schedule. It might be medicine, it might be giving a talk, it might be travel, it might be outreach, it might be research, uh, it might be meetings. Um, I also run the flight opportunities program, our suborbital research program, so it might be uh administrative work, so there's a lot there, and it's sort of like there's only so many hours in a day. And so I like to say that there's a season for everything. Um, you know, even if you're a star athlete, even if you were playing soccer and volleyball and hockey and lacrosse, you're not training for every single one of those things in the same 24-hour period. So it comes down to you know recognizing that different priorities will take precedence at different times, and there's a season for everything, you don't have to do it all in 24 hours.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

So well said, Shawn. Thank you so much. And I think that's really true. Like you're talking about passion, but having like you're like you said, medicine's your passion, space is your passion. So I think when you're doing something that is truly rewarding, it does not feel like work. And I know we say that often, but I do agree with that. And like you said, following your pathway doesn't necessarily mean that you're going with what you think you should do or what your parents do. It's okay to think outside the box. You are a prime example of what it is when you think outside of the box. So we know you've mentioned a few times that you're gonna be going

Virgin Galactic Flight And Research

SPEAKER_00 15:00

to space soon. Are we able to share more details about that?

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Yeah, so yeah, let's get into it. I'm always happy to talk about that. So I will be flying to space with Virgin Galactic on their upcoming brand new Delta class of spacecraft. And so essentially we're waiting on Virgin Galactic to build us a spacecraft. And so um that spacecraft has just entered integration, and so then from there it'll go into internal testing, and then they will do tests with um science payloads but no people, and then finally, once all those tick boxes have been checked, we get to uh crewed flights, which include research crews like my own. So the current timeline for that is either late 2026 extending into mid-2027, and so anyone who's worked in the space flight industry, space flight timelines will always shift. We see that um, you know, at every aspect. We see that, you know, for example, with the Artemis II mission that slipped by over a year. Um, so for us, it's you know taking the time we have to refine our science, to prepare. Um, and so I alluded to this being a research space flight. We have several research priority areas, um, so women's health, neuroscience, health technology, and physical sciences. And this stems from both research we started on our first spaceflight, and then also looking at the legacy of research that we've created at our institute. Um I'm flying with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, and then also we wanted to bring the best of science that the world has to offer. So we actually held a global call for science in 24 and 25, um, and we are in the middle of completing our down select. So there's a lot of good contender payloads, and we're gonna have some more news around that hopefully later this year. So there's a lot going on behind the scenes. Um, but once you know, we're we're well on our way to getting ourselves prepared for the day when it comes.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

That is so exciting. How do you feel about this? Like, what would you say you're most looking forward to?

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Gosh, there's so much, and so you know, when you prepare for space, I talked about the parabolic flight, the vomit comet. So we do a lot of um preparation, science testing, choreographed teamwork in Zero G. Um, so I'm not worried about the science itself. I feel very prepared. I'm just so excited to get out there to perform, and it's pretty special that um we also get a really unique view of the earth. So I'm really excited to look out the window as well.

Training Mind And Body Daily

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Absolutely. Now, also last time we had met at the Riverhawks game, I remember you were telling us, it was me and a few others, about your workout regime and how important it is when you're going through space training. Can we talk about this further? And also, anyone who follows you on social media, we're constantly seeing your workouts, you at the gym. So, when it comes to the training process, how important is it to take care of your health and like your physique? So, yeah, let's do it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

So, you always want to be in tip-top shape, you know, if you're doing um something that requires endurance, you know, you want to make sure that your physical health is up to par with that. And so for me, I grew up being very active. I played soccer as a kid, and then when I was in my teens, I you know, I just really wanted to get into martial arts. It was a bucket list item for me to get a black belt. So I can say today I'm a second degree black belt in Taekwondo. I've trained in Muay Thai in Thailand, I've fought amateur fights in Muay Thai and won, uh, and then I've competed at both the international and national and world level in Taekwondo when I've meddled. Um and so these days I don't have I don't have this stability to keep coming back to one dojang. Um but that means that um you can I like to say you can take the girl out of the dojang, but you can't can't take the dojang out of the girl. So um fitness is super important to me. Everywhere I go, I make sure I know where the gym is. If I'm in a if I'm in the city, I have my gym membership. If I'm rurally, I'll make sure I know where the gym is. I always travel with a skipping rope, so if there's no gym, uh I have my own hotel room routine. And for me, it's you know, this is my therapy, this is my physical therapy. It's where no matter how much is going on in the day, the work is never gonna end. And so if you choose to let the work take over, you're just gonna burn out. So for me, it's an internal sensor system that if I go too many days in a row without working out and it's due to work, then that environmental sensor goes off that hey, this isn't sustainable and this isn't safe. And so for me, it's a way of unplugging and just having that dedicated me time. And so I try to dedicate a 90 minutes to two hours every day for cardio, for working out, for weights, for stretching. Um, and what's really cool again, speaking to the power of social media and representation and positive influence. Um, so if you follow me on my stories on Instagram, you'll see my usual gym selfie. And at first it felt a little bit silly, but now like there will be people, whether they're strangers or friends, saying, Hey, they're channeling their inner shana, and then they'll post their photo of them in the gym, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

I'll tell you, it's really motivating. And the reason why I say that is when I look at your social media, it's like you're constantly traveling, you're doing a lot of different things, and also I feel like for you the sky is definitely the limit. Like you just said, Taekwondo is also something you master, and there's so much, and definitely a high achiever, is what I'm gonna say. But regardless, every time I see you at the gym, it's like it's sort of like the accountability towards myself as well of like, what's your excuse? Why are you not making it to the gym today? So thank you for sharing that. The reason I really want to chime into that is because the motivation I get from you, I know a lot of our listeners will connect to that of hey, there's no excuse, and like you said, work will still go on, but taking care of yourself, your physical and mental well-being is really important at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Yeah, that brings me so much joy to hear that you know you you're also motivated. I'll tell you, I have my gym bug gym bag in my car right now. I'm headed there right after this. Um, you know, it it really is an investment in yourself. It is you just, you know, telling yourself that, hey, I'm I'm I know I want to be around for a long time and I'm gonna invest in my battery and recharge. And so that's really great to hear that it has immediate effect and influence.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

No, absolutely not. Shauna, with you, I will say that you've proven the sky is actually the limit. When it comes to our younger, more specifically the younger South Asian females that are tuned in today, what can you tell them and how can we motivate them to really pursue their dreams and keep motivated throughout the process?

SPEAKER_01 21:12

Yeah, I have lots of thoughts on that. And so let's look at the numbers of just women in STEM and human space flight specifically. So we know that to date, 86% of astronauts have been males. So when I first started off in this business, it was maybe 10% of astronauts were women. Now we're up to 14%, so we're making steps, baby steps. And then when you look at when you look at the number of women who are minorities, so the number for for black astronauts, for example, is less than 1%. Um, and so if you you know, looking for um South Asian astronauts, looking for um women South Asian astronauts, like I can name you offhand that Sunita Williams was the first, there's Kalpna Calla, um, sorry, it was Kalpna Chowla, Sunita Williams, um Siri Shabanla. And myself, and the idea is that you know it doesn't matter who's the first as long as you're not the last. And so for anyone out there, you know, who might be a kid with a dream, who might be a high school student who really wants to pursue this, who or a young professional, this is the best time to be part of human space flight. The the way we access the space is changing, what we access the space for is changing. And so it once used to be for the military pilots, and then it used to be for the pilots, the engineers, and the scientists. And now it can be the place for artists and innovators and inventors too. And so, you know, find your own path towards space and don't let anyone tell you you don't belong there. Make space for yourself.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

No, thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate you sitting down with us. I know there's so the first time I met you, Shauna, I was so like I felt so empowered, and I was so amazed and also just like astonished hearing everything that you've accomplished and everything you're working towards and just your dedication. And I really wanted to share your story with everyone because I feel like there's so much to take away and learn from you. I am wishing you the best of luck. We are so excited, and everyone, if you don't, you really need to follow Sean on social media. Um, and I hope while you're when you go to space, you take us all along with you on your socials and we get to see the experience as well.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Yeah, Cypriot, thank you so much for having me here today. I think it's really important that we bring our communities with us. So it's just really special that, you know, I get to speak um to my roots, to my heritage, and then you know, just talk about the current era of what it means to be a South Asian woman who started out with a girl's dream. So I I can't thank you enough for letting me speak, frankly, about that.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

No, absolutely, thank you.

Rapid Fire And Life Underwater

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Um, I'm also gonna do a quick rapid fire with you. Yes, I'm excited. Perfect. All right, Dr. Shauna Pondia. The first question I have for you space or ocean?

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Oh gosh, that's hard. Um, space because that's what's more imminent. But I have lived underwater for 11 days, so I also like the ocean.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

Favorite science fiction movie?

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Oh, that's a hard one. Um, Interstellar.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

That's a good answer. Yeah. What's one item you take to space with you that isn't essential?

SPEAKER_01 24:13

You know, it's non-essential and it's also super not allowed. But if I could find a way to bring my parrot with me to space, I actually would totally, you know, just hide her in my spacesuit.

SPEAKER_00 24:22

Oh my god, you have a parrot.

SPEAKER_01 24:24

Yeah, she's a tiny, tiny little love bird.

SPEAKER_00 24:26

Her name is Jules. Jules, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Coffee or tea? Coffee, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

Favorite Bollywood movie.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

Oh man, oh gosh, there I just grew up on so many. Um, that's a hard one. Uh oh. I keep blanking on the name, but it had Shah Rikhan, had Amita Bachin, uh, there were just so many. Kabiko Shikabiga. Yes, okay. Yes, yes, okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:52

K3G, yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

So many bangers from it. I I love that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Yeah, that was such a good movie. Such a classic.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

Uh, one woman who inspires you. You know, I think we've talked about Roberta Bondor a lot, but I also want to pay tribute to my mom because she is a powerhouse. Like she is, as much as I work hard, I think I don't work as hard as she does. So uh, you know, got a shout out to my mom.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

Aw, I love that. What is one South Asian trailblazer that you think everyone should know about?

unknown 25:20

Oh god.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

Besides yourself.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Oh you know, I I really encourage, we were talking about, you know, increasing representation of South Asian women in space. So please go learn about Kalna Chaola, about Sunita Williams and Sri Shabanla. They're incredible women. Um, you know, they've opened the door and they've held it open. So forget about uh these amazing women astronauts.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

And if you weren't a physician or an astronaut, what would you be?

SPEAKER_01 25:43

I think that changes with time, but I'm just so in love with our planet. The more I travel, the more I become in love with how much there is to discover. So I would be an explorer. I'd go caving, I'd go into the oceans, I'd climb mountains. That's what I'd do.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

And lastly, one word that describes your journey. Incredible. Yeah, I would say at least incredible. Yeah. And you just mentioned you lived underwater for 11 days. I'm sorry, we're gonna have to talk about this. Tell us more about this.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Yeah, and so um I'm an aquanaut as well. And so an aquanaut is someone who lives underwater at pressure to the point where all the bubbles in their bloodstream dissolve, and so when they do, and you've done that for over 24 hours, you have have reached saturation. And so that's essentially what the technical definition of an astr of an aquinaut is. And so I've done two underwater missions. Um, one was five days, one was six days, and you're not wet the whole time, you're living in this underwater habitat. But if you go outside to do some exploration or conservation work, um you are diving outside. And so we did our missions um as part of um a science and technical, a technological demonstration. So these missions were called the Neptune missions, and everything in space and exploration is an acronym. So Neptune stands for nautical experiments in physiology, technology, and underwater exploration. And I was lucky enough to work with a crew of five four people, so four other people, five people total, two Canadians, three Americans, and really we spent so much time working on the science, and um, you know, when we got down there, it was just it was magical. Like to give you an idea, we weren't all that deep, we were about 22 feet and our habitat, but you still feel the pressure effects. Like you bring a marshmallow with you and it squishes down. You bring pool noodles with you, and the foam, like the air just squishes down, and you know, it's so peaceful. Like I slept like the dead down there, and then when you're going on your um your your dives, you can do them at night, you can do them during the day. During the day, there's all these parrot fish that are just lounging out on top of your habitat. They're so used to people, they're just chilling with you in the night. If you dare to turn off your light for a second, you feel like you're lost in space. It's just blackness and weightlessness. And so it's pretty magical. And um, the crew that you work with, with the right crew, really becomes like your family. We're still in touch, you know, on a daily basis. Um, so you know, that's a really, really special part of my journey.

Final Reflections And Goodbye

SPEAKER_00 28:07

Wow. Wow, okay, that is amazing. Wow, Shauna. There's so much to like, I feel like there's gonna be a Shauna biography down the road, right? Yeah, I feel like there's just so much to take away from this conversation. Living underwater, going into space, it's just incredible. I am so, so uh honored to sit down with you. I know the first time we talked, I was like, I have to get to know more about you for sure.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Yeah, I'm so glad that this worked out. And who knows, maybe I'll be back here for part two after my space flight and you know tell you how it works.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

Wait, I can't wait. Oh, thank you so much. Thank you for turning it up with us. This was Sapreed, and make sure you stay connected with us across socials at the Universal Radio.