To Infinity and Beyond—At What Cost?

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Humanity is actively working towards a mission to Mars. When astronauts like Bernard Harris leave Earth, they accept risk as part of the mission. But a journey to Mars would push that risk into entirely new territory—where help is unreachable, uncertainty is unavoidable, and coming home may not be an option. This episode explores how space agencies, astronauts, and all of us need to grapple with how much risk is ethically acceptable for individuals to take on in pursuit of societal benefit, and who gets to decide. This episode features: Bernard A. Harris Jr., MD : former NASA astronaut. James D. Polk, DO : Chief Health and Medical Officer of NASA. Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH : Andreas C.…