QA5 - Brainstorming fire safe Mars habitats with Ruben van Coile, Jaime Cadena Gomez and Szymek Matkowski

This time we try out something new! Instead of interviewing experts on subjects of their expertise, this time I took world-class risk specialists for a brainstorming session. And while sitting together, we discussed something out of this world - the fire safety of Mars habitats. 

This podcast episode is literally a recording of the conversation between the panellists, it is very unscripted and lightly edited. I really hope you will feel like a part of this conversation, and if you would like to voice your ideas - share them on socials or mail them directly to me. If you have ideas on future brainstorming sessions and who you would like to see at the table. please let me know!

In today's brainstorming session, the discussion is held between:

• Ruben van Coile - professor at Ghent University and renowned expert in risk and structural engineering. Listen to his previous and previous episodes on risk, and his new project to shift the paradigm of fire safety. 
• Jaime Cadena Gomez - risk specialist, an expert at Transurban with practical experience in tunnelling,  has a background in chemical engineering. Listen to Jaimes' episode on Maximum Allowable Damage method he was developing in his PhD.
• Szymek Matkowski - an architect whose passion is to design Mars habitats, involved with Nexus Aurora and known for his research on evacuation in low-G
• yours truly Wojciech Wegrzynski - in this case, space enthusiast and advocate for risk and performance-based approach to fire safety

Background of the discussion: Our exciting and exploratory discussion revolves around the concept of a Mars habitat, examining the unique challenges of maintaining resources on Mars and unpacking how these factors influence the longevity of the structures. Fire can become a catastrophic disaster, especially in a volatile environment like Mars. Our conversation dives into the expense of safety solutions, and the potentially devastating implications of a fire on Mars.