The science of sleep in space

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

The Planetary Society

Technology, Science

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Erin Flynn-Evans, director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center, shares how sleep science is helping astronauts stay healthy in space and prepare for future missions to Mars.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	How do astronauts sleep in space?
0:06.0	And what happens when they can't?
0:08.0	We'll find out this week on Planetary Radio.
0:15.0	I'm Sarah Al-Ahmed of the Planetary Society, with more of the human adventure across our solar system and beyond.
0:22.7	Today we're joined by Aaron Flynn Evans, director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames
0:28.4	Research Center. She'll take us inside the world of sleeping in space to share how we measure it,
0:33.9	why it matters, and what we're still learning as we prepare for long-term duration missions
0:38.6	to the moon and Mars. Then we'll get a quick space policy update with Casey Dreyer, the chief of
0:44.0	space policy at the Planetary Society, and Jack Corelli, our director of government relations.
0:48.9	They'll help impact new developments in NASA's budget and what that means for the agency's
0:52.6	science goals. And later, Bruce Betts,
0:55.3	our chief scientist, joins us for a sleepy edition of What's Up, where we talk about the times
0:59.9	that robotic spacecraft go into safe mode or low power standby during their journeys. If you love
1:05.5	Planetary Radio and want to stay informed about the latest space discoveries, make sure you hit
1:09.7	the subscribe button on your favorite podcasting platform. By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode filled with new
1:15.3	and awe-inspiring ways to know the cosmos and our place within it. We talk a lot on this show about
1:22.4	planetary geology, spacecraft, and missions that can show us the worlds beyond our own. But none of that is possible without humans who are rested and ready to respond when it counts.
1:33.3	Our guest today, Dr. Aaron Flynn Evans, is the director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
1:41.3	Her team studies sleep, alertness, and performance in high-stakes
1:45.5	environments, especially in space. Her work helps ensure that crews stay healthy and mission-ready,
1:52.1	from managing circadian rhythms on the International Space Station to laying the groundwork for
1:56.6	future crewed missions beyond Earth. But Aaron didn't always know that she was going to end up
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 21 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Planetary Society, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Planetary Society and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.