Sara García Alonso is a scientist at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre. She’s also a class of ’22 reserve in the European Astronaut Corps.
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You were selected to become an astronaut out of a vast pool of applicants. What did it feel like?
It felt fantastic. I had never dreamt it would happen; the odds were so incredibly low that I didn’t allow myself to hope.
You’re a molecular biologist and a cancer researcher. What are the experiments you’d most want to perform in space and how can they advance your field in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without access to a microgravity environment?
Well, it’s important to note that I won’t be the one deciding what experiments to run; there’s a whole organisation working to do that. I’ll just be the technician implementing and overseeing the experiments. With that said, I think there are so many exciting opportunities. When developing novel drugs, which is what I do, we’re using different crystallisation techniques to analyse target proteins. That’s a very challenging process where microgravity can help a lot. I’m really excited about the space stations that are being developed now and will eventually replace the ISS, because there it’ll be viable to not only do research but also manufacture. Just to give you an example of what that might mean: there’s a very promising new immunotherapy out now called Keytruda (Pembrolizumab). It’s a wonderful drug, but it’s not soluble in water, which means patients have to regularly come to the hospital to have it administered. A challenge like that, which has to do with the size of the crystals we can produce, could be solved in a microgravity environment.
Given your profession, you know a lot about the human body. You also know the type of physical stress astronauts are exposed to (six months at the ISS makes you lose 10 percent of the skeletal density). How do you foresee human beings ever being able to survive the kinds of long-term stays in space that will be required to go to Mars, for example?
Well, I do think going to Mars is still a long way into the future. It’s science fiction for now. Going sustainably to the Moon is a different thing, however. It’s challenging too of course, not least to deal with the radiation there, but I’m certain that it’s achievable. Obviously not without risks, but I accept that as astronauts, we are, to some extent, guinea pigs. I’ve prepared mentally for that; it’s a contribution I’m willing to make.
As a follow-up to that question: will we have to accept genetically engineered astronauts in the future?
I’m a biotechnologist, so this question has been on my mind ever since my first year of university studies. It’s obviously very, very delicate. The way I think about it is we have to primarily focus on curing diseases here on Earth. Then, who knows what happens far in the future? If we’re a multi-planetary species a hundred years from now, I wouldn’t be surprised if genetic engineering will be a piece of that puzzle.
I’ve listened to interviews with many astronauts (and have had conversations of my own with a number of them). It’s impressive how happy and psychologically grounded they all seem to be. I understand that you need to be, in order to live in a cramped area together without killing each other, but I don’t quite understand how it’s possible. In a world full of escalating conflicts, what can we earthlings learn from astronauts when it comes to conflict management and mindfulness?
First of all, I’ve been surprised to have made the same observation. For example, in the very last phase of the selection process of my batch, there were 17 candidates living in the same hotel in Paris. It should have been a tense situation, but it really wasn’t; everyone was just so nice and agreeable. If you look in general at people who are working for ESA, it’s possible to discern the usual national archetypes—Germans are like this, Spaniards like that, etc., but astronauts are somehow all the same, no matter where they come from. I guess it’s a result of the rigorous selection process. It’s a pretty amazing thing to experience first-hand. Of course, we’re human beings and we get pissed off from time to time, just like anyone else, but we’re generally really good at not acting on emotions.
How do you become such a person?
There aren’t any shortcuts; it takes a lifetime. In my case, a large part of it is thanks to my parents. They brought me up to be assertive. I always speak my mind, but I do so in a respectful way. If I get emotional, which happens of course, I try to count to ten and let the sentiments subside.
I heard you say in a previous interview that all the astronaut candidates you’ve met have ‘secret lives’ of some sort; a hobby that is almost like a second occupation. What is your secret life?
I probably have a hundred different secret lives. I’m into the martial art Krav Maga and I do sky diving, but I also like crocheting. I’m a street-fighting old grandma, ha ha. What keeps me going is my curiosity; it never rests!
What are you most excited about as to the future of space exploration?
There’s a huge paradigm shift underway, and you can see it in how astronauts are recruited. It’s no longer just middle-aged men with military backgrounds; it’s gotten so much more inclusive. I’m also looking forward to the next generation of Low Earth Orbit stations, which will be very different from the International Space Station. The ISS is such a fantastic achievement for mankind, but it’s really just a stepping stone. Then there’s obviously the Artemis programme, which will take us back to the Moon. There’s so much left to be done, so much to be excited about!