A riveting documentary that explores how the monumental task of keeping astronauts mentally stable in space is tested to the extreme in anticipation of NASA’s pending Mars mission and its required three-year absence from Earth.
Independent Lens “Space: The Longest Goodbye airs Sunday, May 12 at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
Space: The Longest Goodbye follows NASA’s real-life attempts to prepare astronauts for a journey to Mars. NASA’s goal to send astronauts to Mars would require a three-year absence from Earth, during which communication in real time would be impossible due to the immense distance. We meet the psychologists whose job is to keep astronauts mentally stable in outer space, as they are caught between their dream of reaching new frontiers and their basic human need to stay connected to home.
Photo: Cady and son speaking while she’s on the space station. • Credit: ITVS