The neuroscientist.

"Please welcome neuroscientist, Dr. Hane Shī!" Julie announced.

Zoe waved good-bye just as her portrait windows shrunk to join the rest of the female crew at the bottom of the huge LED wall display and in her place a beautiful pale Chinese woman with a heart-shaped face, long wavy brown hair, and a white deep v-neck dress that does little to hide her ample cleavage.

"Hello, Julie," Hane smiled politely with a subtle nod. "Tàitai. Jonathan."

"Dr. Shī..." Julie started.

"Hane, please," the beautiful young doctor interrupted with a smile.

"Hane, I can understand NASA would want engineers, medical doctors, and sports medicine experts on this project but why are you part of NASA as a neuroscientist?"

"It is very important to understand the human brain in space travel not as a reactive entity but rather an interactive system that responds to stimuli differentially based on moods, attitudes, and external conditions in a given situation," Hane explained. "By understanding the effects of the states of the brain on cognition in critical decision-making situations can help us understand how the brain will react in space and in turn support our success in long-duration spaceflights."

Julie nodded.

"For example, deeply embedded in our brain in the temporal lobe, which sits close to ear level within the skull," Hane continued, pointing to the side of her head above her ear, "is the hippocampus. It plays a major role in our learning and memory and because it is very malleable and vulnerable it can be affected by a variety of stimuli, including microgravity, ionizing radiation, isolation, and confinement characteristic of space travel. So it is very important for us to understand the effects of space travel and confinement on both the hippocampus and the spatial cognition that relies upon it."

Julie nodded.

"So by using isolation analog experiments, such as the Priapus Program, we can investigate combined effects of confinement, isolation, and sleep deprivation that could possible threaten the health, well-being, and cognitive performance of people during long-duration spaceflights. Cognition may be the difference between life and death on deep-space missions -- catastrophes could occur if a crew member has a lapse of attention during on a spacewalk or a memory deficit while navigating due to sleep deprivation. The cognitive risks posed to astronauts are tangible but still poorly understood. That’s why NASA has neuroscientists such as myself involved in analog studies to simulate life in space."

Julie nodded. "So you're study how the dangers of being in outer space could possibly affect the human brain?"

"Basically," Hane smiled and nodded gently.

"Thank you, Hane." Julie turned to face the camera. "Next we will meet the final member of the crew of the Priapus Program!"