Location
Scarbrough Building, Cicero Forum
522 N Congress Ave, 2nd Floor
Loca
Event agenda
08.30-09.30 AM
Breakfast & Coffee: Open Exchange
An informal start to the day with breakfast and coffee. Attendees connect across disciplines and begin conversations that carry into the program.
Sponsored by BioAstra.
09.30-09.45 AM
Opening Thesis: The Fragility of Freedom Beyond Earth
Freedom does not emerge by default in extreme environments. In space, it must be constructed within the constraints of biology, technology, and governance. This opening frames the problem: what must we understand—and what must we build—to sustain freedom beyond Earth?
David Ruth, PhD
Provost, UATX
Eliah Overbey, PhD
Summit Director
Asst Professor of Bioastronautics, UATX
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, BioAstra
Alex Petkas, PhD
Summit Organizer
Co-Founder, The Classical Society
Host, The Cost of Glory Podcast
09.45-10.45 AM
Keynote Address: The Final Frontier of the Human Condition
Grant Anderson
Co-Founder, Paragon Space Development Corporation
Human Spaceflight, with all its technology, smoke and fire, and wonder, is, at its core, a human endeavor. One that has allowed the rest of humanity to ride along as a willing observer looking over the shoulders of the astronauts.
In a nutshell, we are sending one of the most complex organisms ever devised—a 34-trillion-cell, one-g-evolved, human—into the unknown. Not only in the unknown of outward discovery, but one of medical, biological, and social discovery of the human itself as it struggles to respond, adapt, and thrive in a place foreign to its very make-up. Acceleration (or lack thereof), closed and isolated vehicles, constant hostility of the environment, command structures, social organization, and separation from the Earth of our birth all will affect us.
While we are sure to discover new wonders of the universe, we may also discover much about ourselves—mentally, biologically, and socially. It will be a grand ride and a new age of discovery. More so if we are open to observing ourselves!
10.45-11.15 AM
Structured Conversation with Christopher Sembroski: Life Under Constraint in Spaceflight
Human spaceflight operates within tightly structured environments where time, movement, and decision-making are highly constrained. In this conversation, Chris Sembroski reflects on the lived experience of mission life during Inspiration4, focusing on the structure and rigidity of the daily schedule.
Through guided questions, the discussion explores how time was allocated, where flexibility existed, and what “free time” actually meant in orbit. The session examines how operational demands shape autonomy, routine, and human experience in space—and what these constraints reveal about the conditions for living beyond Earth.
Christopher Sembroski
Inspiration4 Astronaut
11:15-11:45 AM
Space Omics: Defining the Biological Limits of Freedom Beyond Earth
Human spaceflight is ultimately constrained by biology. From the NASA Twins Study to large-scale multi-omic datasets, space omics has begun to map how the human body responds to radiation, microgravity, and isolation.
This session examines what these data reveal about the limits of human adaptation—and how those limits shape what is possible for sustaining life and freedom beyond Earth. Drawing on themes from The Next 500 Years, it asks whether extending human presence in space will require not just new systems, but new approaches to human biology itself.
Christopher E. Mason
Professor of Genomics, Weill Cornell Medicine
Co-Founder, BioAstra
Co-Director, Trivedi Institute
11.45 AM-01.00 PM
Midday Break: Open Exchange Across Austin
Step out into downtown Austin for lunch and continue the conversation in smaller groups. These informal exchanges often deepen ideas introduced in the morning and create the collaborations that carry beyond the summit.
01.00-1:30 PM
Conversation with Pablo Peniche
Pablo Peniche
Head of Growth, Aqua Voice
Writer for Palladium, Arena, and Return Magazines
Co-Founder, Hamilton Society (SF's premier debate society)
01.30-1:50 PM
The SERA Science Platform
Victor Hespanha
Blue Origin, NS-21
02.00-2.45 PM
Two Frontiers, One Challenge: Building New Institutions
Carlos Carvalho, PhD
President, UATX
What does it take to build a new institution from first principles?
In this fireside conversation, Carlos Carvalho, President of the University of Austin, and Victor Hespanha, a Brazilian astronaut helping to build a new model for human spaceflight through Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) and a astronaut in a Blue Origin mission, come together as institution builders working on two very different frontiers.
Carvalho is standing up a new university, designing structures for education, governance, and intellectual life from the ground up. Hespanha is part of an emerging effort to build a new kind of space program, where access to flight is no longer limited to traditional government pathways but is opened through new platforms, selection systems, and global participation.
Together, they will discuss the practical realities of building early-stage institutions: how to make foundational design decisions under uncertainty, how to establish credibility without legacy, and how to balance openness with rigor as participation expands. Drawing from their experiences in higher education and commercial spaceflight, the conversation will explore what it means to construct durable systems in environments where the rules are not yet fully written.
This is a conversation about founding, about the choices that shape who gets in, how systems scale, and what lasts.
02.45-03:15 PM
Afternoon Coffee: Open Exchange
An open interval for continued exchange. Attendees use this time to interrogate ideas from earlier sessions and extend conversations across disciplines.
03.15-04.00 PM
From Concept to Flight: Designing Biological Experiments for Space
Preparing biological experiments for spaceflight requires translating scientific questions into systems that can survive launch, operate in extreme conditions, and integrate with mission constraints. This session examines what it takes to move from idea to flight-ready experiment.
Savi Glowe
Co-Founder and CEO, BioAstra
Olivia G. Holzhaus
Founder and CEO, Rhodium Scientific
04:00-05.00 PM
AI Beyond Your Bubble: Developments That Will Reshape Other Fields
AI is advancing rapidly across domains, often in ways that remain invisible outside specialized communities. This session highlights developments in AI that researchers and practitioners in other fields should not ignore—offering a cross-disciplinary view of systems, infrastructure, and applications that are reshaping the scientific and technological landscape.
Matt Barge
Gauntlet AI, AI Engineer; KellyClaude Team
Samuel Indyk
UATX Student
Patrick Skinner
General Manager, Superbuilders
05:00-05.30 PM
Structured Conversation: Human Expression Beyond Earth
Human spaceflight is often defined by constraint—tight schedules, limited resources, and engineered environments. Yet even within these limits, astronauts create, adapt, and express. In this conversation, Dr. Sian Proctor reflects on her experience as both astronaut and artist, exploring how creativity and personal expression persist in space—and what that reveals about the conditions required for meaningful human life beyond Earth.
Sian Proctor, PhD
Inspiration4 Astronaut
05.30-07:00 PM
Evening Social: Drinks and Conversation
The formal program concludes, but conversations continue. Join fellow attendees for drinks on campus and carry forward the ideas, debates, and connections from the day.
08.30-09.30 AM
Breakfast & Coffee: Rejoining the Conversation
Breakfast and coffee are served as attendees reconnect and pick up conversations from the previous day. This is a chance to revisit ideas, refine perspectives, and prepare for the next set of discussions.
09.30-09.45 AM
Day 2 Brief: Science, Salons, and Hackathon
Day 2 unfolds across three core components: scientific sessions, small-group salons on governance, and the hackathon. This brief outlines how each part of the program operates and what to expect throughout the day.
Eliah Overbey, PhD
Summit Director
Asst Professor of Bioastronautics, UATX
Chief Scientific Officer, BioAstra
Alex Petkas, PhD
Summit Organizer
Co-Founder, The Classical Society
Host, The Cost of Glory Podcast
09:45-10.15 AM
New Findings from Blue Origin NS-26: Early Gene Expression Responses in the Transition to Space Inform the Process of Spaceflight Acclimation
This talk presents new findings from the NS-26 mission, examining how gene expression shifts during the earliest moments of transition to spaceflight. Drawing on experiments conducted in flight by Dr. Rob Ferl and led in parallel on the ground by Dr. Anna-Lisa Paul, the work captures the immediate molecular responses that occur as biological systems encounter the space environment.
Together, Ferl and Paul bring a uniquely integrated perspective spanning flight operations and experimental design, highlighting how coordinated in-flight and ground-based science can reveal the earliest signals of biological adaptation in space.
Robert Ferl, PhD
Astronaut, Blue Origin NS-26
Distinguished Professor of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida
Assistant Vice President for Research, University of Florida
Anna-Lisa Paul, PhD
Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR)
Research Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida
10.15-11.30 AM
Science & Engineering Series: Part I
This session features presentations of experimental results from spaceflight, spanning biological and physiological studies conducted in orbit. Speakers will present findings, methods, and open questions emerging from recent missions.
Cassandra Juran, PhD
Assistant Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Co-Director, Space Physiology Antibody and Cellular Engineering Laboratory (SPACELab)
Emmanuel Urquieta, MD
Vice Chair, Aerospace Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, UCF College of Medicine
Founding Director, UCF Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (CASEEM)
L Herrera Hernandez
Test Engineer, Firefly Aerospace
10.15-11.30 AM
Seminar Salon Pass Exclusive
Salon Session I: Foundations and Challenges of Political Order On Earth and Beyond
(Seminar Salon Pass Required)
A small-group forum for examining the political foundations and challenges of spacefaring societies. These sessions focus on governance, authority, and the institutional tensions that will shape order beyond Earth.
J. Michael Hoffpauir, PhD
Professor of Political Theory, UATX
Spencer Klavan, PhD
Professor of Classics, UATX
James Poulos, PhD
Senior Fellow, Foundation for American Innovation
11.30-01.00 PM
Lunch Break: Midday Conversations
Use the break to continue conversations from the morning sessions. Much of the summit’s work happens here—where ideas are tested, challenged, and carried forward.
01:00-01.30 PM
Featured Conversation with Hayley Arceneaux: Breaking Barriers in Human Spaceflight
Hayley Arceneaux
Inspiration4 Astronaut
Jason Scharf
Podcaster & Investor, Austin Next
01.30-02.45 PM
Science & Engineering Series: Part II
Our second session featuring presentations of experimental results from spaceflight, spanning biological and physiological studies conducted in orbit. Speakers will present findings, methods, and open questions emerging from recent missions.
Orbiting OASIS: Barley and microbial growth in a modified Martian soil simulant aboard the ISS
Regolith-based agriculture represents a sustainable route to Martian food and fiber production, although Martian soils are not suitable for biological utilization without alteration. OASIS explores plant-microbe-mineral dynamics in a simulated Martian soil aboard the ISS covering preflight-optimization, plant nutrition, metabolomics of dissolved organic matter, and greenhouse gas production.
Harrison Coker
NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity PhD Candidate, Texas A&M University, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences
Scientist at Starbase Research
Shedding light on Sulfur Redox Shifts in the Astrorhizosphere
To investigate spaceflight induced oxidative changes in the rhizosphere, barley plants were grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Following the growth period and subsequent sample return, their rhizosphere chemistry was characterized using sulfur K-edge μXANES and elemental mapping at the NSLS-II 4-BM X-ray fluorescence microprobe, where sulfur speciation was used as a redox probe to compare oxidative shifts between spaceflight and ground-control samples.
Caleb Shackelford
Graduate Fellow in the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M
Simulated spaceflight drives persistent immune-gut-brain dysfunction
The gut-brain-axis isa hub of cross-systems communication and may offer insight to neuroendocrine-immune dysregulation from spaceflight exposure. We employed simulated spaceflight murine model to characterize the simultaneous dysfunction with the brain, gut, and peripheral nervous system with measurable cognitive outcomes.
Marissa Burke
PhD Candidate, Weill Cornell Graduate School
Graduate Research Fellow, Houston Methodist Research Institute
01.30-02.45 PM
Seminar Salon Pass Exclusive
Salon Session II: Political Consequences and Tradeoffs Beyond Earth
(Seminar Salon Pass Required)
A continuation of the salon series, this session focuses on the risks and unintended consequences of establishing political order beyond Earth. Discussions examine how new systems of governance may produce tradeoffs, tensions, and feedback effects—both in space and back on Earth.
J. Michael Hoffpauir, PhD
Professor of Political Theory, UATX
Spencer Klavan, PhD
Professor of Classics, UATX
James Poulos, PhD
Senior Fellow, Foundation for American Innovation
02.45-03:45 PM
Science Coffee: Discussion with Speakers
Following the science sessions, join speakers and attendees for continued discussion over coffee. This is an opportunity to ask questions, explore results in more depth, and engage directly with researchers working on spaceflight data.
02.45-03:45 PM
Seminar Salon Pass Exclusive
Salon Coffee: Continued Discussion
(Seminar Salon Pass Required)
An informal continuation of the salon sessions. Participants and session leaders remain available to deepen discussion, while engaging with attendees from other sessions to test ideas and connect arguments across topics.
03.45-04:30 PM
Weltschmerz as Rocket Fuel: From Civilizational Malaise to a Thriving Multi-Planetary Future
Yash Shevde
CEO & Founder, Ursa Bio
04.30-05:00 PM
Storytelling Keynote: Jason Carman
A storyteller by nature, Jason has been making movies since 9 years old. After three years as Head of Content at Astranis aerospace and a personal YouTube channel documenting 75+ startups & 25 science organizations, Jason founded Story Company at just 24 years old. The production company helps deep tech organizations tell their stories in addition to producing their own fiction and non fiction IP. Jason also founded Wizard—a software engineering company building the future of editing tools. The combined teams work out of their office in San Francisco.
Jason Carman
CEO, Wizard
Director and Founder, Story Co
05.00-05:15 PM
Closing Synthesis: What We Build Beyond Earth
A closing synthesis of the summit’s core themes, connecting constraints, systems, and political order. This session reflects on the conditions required to build and sustain freedom beyond Earth—and the challenges that remain.
05:15-07:00 PM
Evening Social
Sponsored by Starbase Brewing.
05:30-06:30 PM
Post-Hackathon Programming
Christine Wang
Project Manager, NASA Johnson Space Center
Victor Hespanha
Blue Origin, NS-21
Eiman Jahangir
Blue Origin, NS-26
