Google published a recorded dialogue between NASA astronaut Christina Koch and executive James Manyika on September 14, 2026. The conversation appeared as the latest episode in the company's Dialogues on Technology and Society series. Google reported that the session focused on space, technology, and discovery.
Manyika, Google’s senior vice president of research, labs, technology and society, hosted the interview with Koch. During the exchange, Koch reflected on her work as a NASA astronaut, engineer, and scientist across multiple assignments. Her spaceflight record includes spending 328 days aboard the International Space Station. While stationed there, she conducted the historic first all-female spacewalk. Her career also includes journeying around the Moon as a crew member on NASA’s Artemis II mission.
Both participants discussed the technical ties between human crews and automated systems during exploration. Koch and Manyika examined what was described as a vital partnership between astronauts, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Koch also described what it was like to look back at Earth from 250,000 miles away in deep space, characterizing the planet as an electric blue "lifeboat."
Koch addressed the question of whether humans are alone in the universe during the dialogue. She also provided guidance directed specifically at future explorers who follow her into the field. Koch advised future explorers to do what scares them, and she urged them to support the people around them.
