PINT OF SCIENCE FESTIVAL
19-21 MAY 2025
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Do you know what bacteria and the desert of the Utah have to do with space exploration? Well, we have no clue about it, but these two scientists promised us it will all makes sense once you listen to their talks on how they are developing the tools to leave Earth behind to find our place into the stars.
Exploring the Next Frontiers: MARS and Beyond
Agnes Dekeyser
PhD Student
UCL
What will be the next steps of space exploration? Mars is certainly in everyone’s mind. Its proximity and similarity to Earth give the opportunity for comparative studies, research about eventual life presence and perhaps we’ll completely colonize it someday.
M.A.R.S. UCLouvain is a non-profit organization that sends researchers and students from the Université catholique de Louvain at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the Utah desert, USA, for a simulation mission on Mars.
During the mission, the teams conduct scientific experiments and perform geological fieldwork in order to prepare for future manned missions to the Red Planet.
Living in space with a spoonful of soil
Celia Alvarez Fernandez
PhD candidate
Ghent University
Humans have tried to imagine how life in space will look like. How can one forget about iconic tv shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica or the movies Alien? However, have we solved all the questions regarding this subject? Not at all, unfortunately. So, how will we manage? Well, I will give you a clue, look to your right, to your left, at your hands, and at the floor, you are standing on. Look closely, and you'll see the key to our success. Yes, microbes, in particular bacteria. Join me in this opposite tale to the War of the Worlds, in which I will show you how bacteria will be our ally in the race to conquer our last frontier.
