From Prince Albert to the red planet
It’s a long way from Prince Albert, but closer than the real thing, and a local doctor has recently returned from Utah, where she used her skills in medicine to learn about life on Mars.
Shawna Pandya is originally from Sherwood Park, Alberta, but has been working in Prince Albert, participating in a one-year residency program in enhanced surgical skills. On the side, she’s a citizen scientist with a long-time interest in space, working with two organizations to study the atmosphere and microgravity.
Pandya recently returned from the Mars Desert Research Society, where she took part in Project PHEnOM, a two-year training program that included land and sea survival training and an analog mission to a simulated Mars environment.
Pandya was part of a crew of five people who took part in the simulation, carting in water, growing their own produce in a greenhouse and working together to conserve resources.