President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday met with four Filipino analog astronauts who participated in space simulation missions and training programs worldwide.
During a courtesy call at Malacañang, Marcos eagerly listened to the experiences and insights of Kristine Jane Atienza, a nutrition specialist from Bataan; Dr. Marvic Jon Alcantara, a medical specialist from Cavite; Florence Pauline Basubas, a space biologist from Cebu; and Dr. Mark Angelo Purio, a space engineer from Oriental Mindoro.
The President expressed support for their future endeavors and encouraged them to share their experiences to inspire more Filipino youth to pursue careers in space science and technology.
“Congratulations. Keep it going. I am so glad that we have presence in all these space sciences. It has become so much easier now… much safer than it used to be,” he said.
Analog missions simulate some of the conditions astronauts may experience while living and working on the Moon, Mars or in space. These include isolation, communication delays, limited resources, and other physical, operational, and psychological challenges.
The four Filipino analog astronauts took part in missions and training programs in different countries.
Atienza participated in the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program and received suborbital spaceflight certification from the National Aerospace Training and Research Center in Pennsylvania.
Alcantara became the first Filipino medical doctor to serve as an analog astronaut and has participated in missions in Hawaii and Australia.
Basubas served as executive and medical officer for the Monsaraz Mars Analog Mission in Portugal, while Purio became the first Filipino engineer analog astronaut through the LunAres Mission M4.26 in Poland. Purio was also involved in the development of the Philippines’ Maya-2 cube satellite.