York University is inviting students to imagine life beyond Earth with a new course that blends science, creativity and hands-on exploration.
Human Spaceflight: Exploring the Final Frontier, offered through the Faculty of Science this winter, is designed to allow non-science majors across disciplines to explore what it takes for humans to live and thrive in space.
In the class, students will engage in an interdisciplinary exploration of the physiological and psychological challenges of life in space while examining how technology, engineering, policy and ethics shape human exploration beyond Earth.
Assistant Professor Jeremy Webb will guide students as the new course's instructor. His research focuses on astrophysics and planetary systems outside Earth’s solar system, examining the behaviour of exoplanets and the evolution of galaxies. However, he will draw on concepts that go beyond the theoretical, drawing on his master’s in space studies from the International Space University in France – an experience that helped shape the course’s interdisciplinary approach.
“At the International Space University, we got exposure to everything – rocket science, astronaut health, space law, even space marketing. It’s exactly the kind of interdisciplinary environment I’m trying to recreate,” says Webb.
Students will learn to evaluate social, scientific and cultural arguments for human spaceflight, while exploring the evolution of technology that makes it possible. They will also compare Earth environments with the extreme conditions of space – like microgravity, vacuum, radiation and extreme temperatures – and describe human responses to them.
To put these concepts into practice, learners will propose strategies to mitigate risks to astronauts, explain how space law and policy influence missions, assess the habitability of destinations across the solar system and analyze the challenges of future interstellar travel, culminating in a final proposal for a long-duration human mission to Mars or the moon.
Webb explains the course has a blended learning format, combining online content with highly interactive in-class sessions. “One week they might learn about astronaut biology, and in class they’ll design a food-production system or mental health supports for a long-duration mission. It lets them apply the concepts in creative ways,” he says.
The approach reflects York’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning while responding to student interest about the human experience of space. This isn’t York’s first offering for non-science students; the popular Science of Spaceflight class has been on the calendar for many years, but the new learning experience shifts the focus from spacecraft to the people inside them.
It also taps into a timely moment as NASA prepares for its 2026 Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight around the moon. The mission will include Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, with fellow Canadian Jenny Gibbons as backup. High-profile missions like this, featuring Canadian astronauts, are helping to drive growing interest in the human experience of space – a curiosity the course aims to fulfill by helping students better understand and engage with scientific concepts.
“Science literacy is good for everyone,” says Webb. “Even if you’re not an expert, it gives you the ability to look at something in the news and critique it, relate it to what you’ve learned and recognize the effort behind new discoveries.”
When Artemis II takes off, York students won’t just be watching the future unfold – they’ll understand what it takes to build it.
With files from Karen Martin-Robbins