Space Experiences on Earth
Emily Apollonio and Loretta Whitesides
Emily Apollonio is the Founder, Human Factors Strategist, and Program Director at Interstellar Performance Labs. With a focus on human factors analysis, accident investigation, and mission readiness training for space analogs, she is passionate in optimizing safety and performance in challenging environments. Leveraging her expertise in human factors, she thoroughly analyzes environmental threats to identify potential risks and develop effective mitigation strategies. As an accident investigator, she digs deep into incidents to uncover root causes, identify contributing factors, and recommend preventative measures. Additionally, she provides comprehensive human performance training to ensure individuals and crews are prepared with the skills and resilience required to excel in demanding situations. By integrating human-centered approaches into complex systems, she empowers organizations to enhance safety, minimize accidents, and achieve optimal performance for their missions. Ultimately, she collaborates to create a better quality of life for analog astronauts and achieve mission success.
Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, the founder of Spacekind and co-creator of Yuri's Night, is a public speaker and author on topics related to space exploration. She accumulated over five hours of weightless time as a Flight Director for Zero-G Corporation, and plans to travel to space as a "Founder Astronaut" on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.
Whitesides received a bachelor's degree in biology from Stanford and a master's from Caltech, where she showed an interest in astrobiology. She appeared in the 3D IMAX documentary "Aliens of the Deep" alongside director James Cameron traveling to hydrothermal vents two miles under the ocean. She has also visited Haughton impact crater in the arctic to study plants surviving in extreme environments. In addition, she has given numerous TEDx talks about space exploration and personal development.
