Meet the crew of Mission 6. Part 2

Laura Banken

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota Laura Banken earned her BS in Biochemistry and Biology at St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. She is currently enrolled in the Space Studies Master’s program at the University of North Dakota with a concentration in Planetary Sciences. This is Laura’s first mission with the Inflatable Lunar Martian Analog Habitat (ILMAH) and her second closure study. Between her undergraduate and graduate years Laura has worked on over 8 research projects in the fields of genetics, biochemistry and microbiology. She is extremely excited to be applying her investigative background to the more than 21 experiments that will be conducted during the course of Mission VI. 

When not participating in closure studies, Laura works at Medtronic, a medical device manufacturing company. After completing her Master’s degree she hopes to obtain her Ph.D researching astrobiology. In her spare time Laura enjoys traveling and spending time in the north woods of Minnesota. Feel free to reach out to her at laura.I.bankenATgmail.com