Q-and-A with University of Alberta lecturer heading to space

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A University of Alberta lecturer is going to space.

With an extensive background in neuroscience, medicine and space, Dr. Shawna Pandya is poised to become Canada’s fourth female astronaut after being confirmed for Virgin Galactic’s new Delta-class aircraft flight to conduct research.

Postmedia spoke to Pandya about her space journey. The following questions and answers were edited for length and clarity.

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Q: As an expert in several fields, how do you describe yourself?

A: I’m a physician aquanaut explorer, and as of June 20, I have been announced as an astronaut, and that’s kind of just an extension of the journey I’ve been on my whole life.

Q: Have you always been interested in space?

A: I started off as a kid who grew up during the ’90s watching Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut, fly to space, and I thought, ‘Hey, we can do that. Canadian women can go to space.’ But I thought to be like her, I just need to do what she does, and I knew she was a neuroscientist, a physician and an astronaut. So I said, ‘OK, well, I’ll go study neuroscience, be a physician, and hopefully, be an astronaut,’ and it seems to have worked out.

Q: How did this opportunity come about?

A: I have been working with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences for nearly a decade now. When I first heard of it, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but I knew I loved space, and there was an opportunity to become more involved in the program as a scientist — specifically as a citizen scientist.

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I joined in 2015, and then I flew my first parabolic flight (which simulates zero gravity by following arching flight paths that rise and fall, giving passengers roughly 20-second intervals of weightlessness) and research campaign with the organization, and then was also asked to use my background in medicine to develop a space medicine curriculum. From there, it just snowballed.

Q: What is space medicine?

A: When you put space and medicine together, it seems like two seemingly disparate terms, but the reality is space is trying to kill you. When we talk about the challenges of the spaceflight environment, we break it down into what we call the Big Five: radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity — which includes not just zero gravity but also decreased gravity — (and hostile environments). There’s this field of space medicine to keep astronauts healthy and not just surviving but thriving in the spaceflight environment.

Q: What research will you conduct in space?

A: Continuous glucose monitoring payload. Glucose payload is so important because we know that the data from longer-duration spaceflight shows that astronauts can experience pre-diabetic changes and develop insulin resistance, but we don’t know how quickly that occurs. So, this experiment will help us get further insights into that phenomenon.

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We also know that diabetes was previously considered to be disqualifying to become an astronaut at the agency level. So if you were applying to be a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, diabetes would disqualify you. But with the rise of commercial spaceflight, such as with providers like Virgin Galactic, we want to make space more accessible, so having this data can help us further that goal.

Finally, understanding physiology and states in extreme environments, like the spaceflight and ultra gravity environment, can give us further insights into how these physiological states act under normal conditions so we can actually further inform our understanding of diabetic states on Earth.

Q: Are you nervous to be in space?

A: I’m ready. I feel like I’ve been preparing for this. I’ve learned what it takes to achieve that perfect balance of teamwork, operational excellence and just being prepared for every type of scenario. So, I’m just ready to fly.

Q: When do you fly?

A: As early as 2026. The Delta class is undergoing rollout testing and operations, so as soon as Delta is ready to fly, we’re ready to fly.

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