The life of astronauts — with 2026 Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg
What is it really like to be an astronaut? How do you even become one? What happens when an argument breaks out on the International Space Station? And why are big fashion brands clamouring to design for space? As NASA prepares to return humans to the moon for the first time in 50 years, we hear from a panel of superstar astronauts about life in space. This astronauts' forum was recorded at Sydney Science Festival on 2 October 2025, presented by Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. Speakers Katherine Bennell-Pegg Director Space Technology, Australian Space Agency, 2026 Australian of the Year Joseph Acaba NASA's chief astronaut, member of NASA Artemis Mission Koichi Wakata Chief technology officer, Asia-Pacific region, Axiom Space, first Japanese commander of the International Space Station Tibor Kapu Astronaut, mechanical engineer, mission specialist for Axiom Mission 4 Rae Johnston (host) Science and technology journalist, presenter, Download This Show ABC Radio National
Big Ideas · Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
What is it really like to be an astronaut? How do you even become one? What happens when an argument breaks out on the International Space Station? And why are big fashion brands clamouring to design for space? As NASA prepares to return humans to the moon for the first time in 50 years, we hear from a panel of superstar astronauts about life in space.
This astronauts' forum was recorded at Sydney Science Festival on 2 October 2025, presented by Sydney's Powerhouse Museum.
Speakers
Katherine Bennell-Pegg Director Space Technology, Australian Space Agency, 2026 Australian of the Year
Joseph Acaba NASA's chief astronaut, member of NASA Artemis Mission
Koichi Wakata Chief technology officer, Asia-Pacific region, Axiom Space, first Japanese commander of the International Space Station
Tibor Kapu Astronaut, mechanical engineer, mission specialist for Axiom Mission 4
Rae Johnston (host) Science and technology journalist, presenter, Download This Show ABC Radio National