Libby Jackson is one of Britain’s leading experts in human spaceflight, having spent over a decade working at the forefront of the field in mission control and management roles. Libby joined the UK Space Agency in 2014 and currently manages the Human Exploration Programme at the UK Space Agency. Previously Libby managed the hugely successful education programme for Tim Peake’s mission to the ISS, as well as acting as a spokesperson throughout the mission.

Libby has had a life-long interest in human spaceflight. After graduating with a BSc in Physics from Imperial College and a Master’s degree in Astronautics and Space Engineering from Cranfield University, Libby worked for Airbus Defence and Space in satellite operations. Prior to her time at the UK Space Agency, Libby worked in Mission Control as a flight controller and then Flight Director for the Columbus module, Europe’s laboratory on the ISS.
Libby is a regular spokesperson for the UK Space Agency on matters relating to human spaceflight and exploration. She has been a guest on various television and radio programmes, including Stargazing Live, Astronauts: Do you Have What it Takes?, Blue Peter and many national and local news programmes.

Talk: Life on Mars

How will humans get to Mars? Why haven’t we gone yet? Who will get there first? Should we colonise it? Will Matt Damon be there when we get there, and will there be enough potatoes?

Returning to bluedot, Libby Jackson, human spaceflight expert, seeks to answer the big questions about life on the red planet. With a 9 month journey time in each direction, no real-time communications back to Earth, and a harsh radiation environment, the challenges for a human mission to Mars are big. Join Libby, the UK Space Agency’s Human Exploration Programme Manager, and find out what’s being done to overcome these (and many other) hurdles and her thoughts on the answer to perhaps the of greatest question not quite written in song: When will there be Life on Mars?