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In the next decade, NASA intends to send humans to Mars for the first time. Astronauts will face unprecedented challenges on the three-year trip, the most concerning and elusive being psychological rather than physical.
The immense distances mean that crew members won’t be able to communicate with Earth in real time, and the psychological impact of this disconnectedness is impossible to predict.
Director Ido Mizrahy’s beautiful, thought-provoking study of space-bound isolation meets former and future astronauts, including Cady Coleman, and follows Dr Al Holland – a NASA psychologist whose job it is to keep them mentally stable while they’re away from their loved ones, and their planet.
The Longest Goodbye has a rich arena to explore here, and its implications extend far beyond the realms of space travel as the struggle with isolation and the need for deep connection reverberate down here on Planet Earth.
The screening on Friday 18th August was followed by a live Zoom Q&A with director Ido Mizrahy, former NASA Astronaut and Air Force Colonel Cady Coleman and her son Jamey Simpson. You can watch the Q&A here.
