For Dr Schoeman, the journey began long before the official call for applications. “I first learned about the Spaceward Bound programme through my international networks, especially through being a Guild member of the NASA Astrobiology SciComm group, focused on planetary science, astrobiology, and sustainability,” she explains. But her inspiration can be traced back to a more personal and profound moment in an ancient dolomite cave in Mpumalanga, where she encountered fossilised stromatolites. “In that quiet, mineral-lined space, I felt something extraordinary ... I heard a silent question rising from within the cave: ‘Why don’t you bring me back?’ It wasn’t a hallucination. It was a calling – an invitation to reawaken something deeply ancient and urgently needed.”
From mining landscapes to planetary exploration
Dr Schoeman’s work in the Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry uniquely prepared her for this high-altitude expedition. “My work has immersed me in landscapes that most consider lifeless: active and post-mining sites with acidic water, toxic soils, and dysfunctional ecosystem services ... but even there, I have found extreme life surviving – even adapting – under intense chemical, anthropogenic, and climatic stress,” she shares. These insights will directly inform her research in Ladakh, where she will study extreme biodiversity and microorganism survival in Mars-analogue conditions.
“Ladakh is one of the few regions on Earth where you can physically and biologically simulate the extreme conditions of another planet,” she explains. “It sits at more than 5 600 metres above sea level. The landscape is raw and dramatic – salt lakes, permafrost, high UV radiation, extreme cold, and minimal vegetation. It’s a place where survival is a daily negotiation – not just for people, but for microbes, micro-organisms, animals, plants, and entire ecological systems and their functioning.”
Her project, titled Life Beyond Limits in India, will focus on studying extremophiles – micro-organisms and extreme biodiversity capable of surviving intense cold, salinity, and radiation. “These extremophiles and unique ecosystems can survive, function, and evolve where everything else fails – and they hold secrets that could help us build resilience into our own systems,” she says. “This isn’t just about studying the distant past or distant planets. It’s about using those insights to regenerate and restore life here on Earth – especially in places where ecosystems have collapsed.”
Bridging planets and regenerating landscapes
For Dr Schoeman, exploring life in extreme environments is more than an astrobiological exercise – it is a regenerative imperative. “The conditions in Ladakh mirror those believed to exist on early Mars. If extreme life can survive there, it strengthens the hypothesis that life could have emerged – or may still persist – on Mars,” she explains. “Our findings can guide life-detection strategies for future space missions, refine planetary protection protocols, and inform astrobiology.”
But these discoveries are just as vital for Earth. “Back on Earth, the components and functioning of extreme ecosystems may help us regenerate landscapes damaged by mining, drought, war or pollution. Their unique functioning could be harnessed for water purification, carbon sequestration, regenerating ancient ecosystems or nutrient cycling – practical solutions with global relevance and true impact.”
Looking ahead, Dr Schoeman plans to translate her research into meaningful change. “After the expedition, I’ll establish Africa’s first Mars-analogue living laboratories: one in Barberton, where the oldest Earth rocks exist; others in the Tankwa Karoo, Tswaing Crater, and beyond.” These sites will combine restoration training, regenerative agriculture, biodiversity finance, and science tourism, co-developed with local communities and other stakeholders.
She is also mindful of the symbolic power of the expedition. “It’s a privilege – and a reminder that science is a global language,” she says about working with NASA and ISRO. “It breaks the myth that innovation only happens in Silicon Valley or Geneva. It tells young African scientists that we belong in these rooms – not someday, but now.”
Dr Schoeman intends to share the expedition widely upon her return. “This journey will not be hidden in academic papers. I will return with samples, data, stories, visuals – and most importantly, a framework to integrate into teaching, community engagement, and public science.” New curricula, public exhibits, and open-source workshops are already in development, along with her upcoming books, The Forgotten Wild and The Last Wild Deal.
“This is not a moment – it’s a movement,” she says. “My aim is to build systems that remember – systems that heal like ancient forests, adapt like extremophiles, and awaken the forgotten wild within our landscapes.”