Hetty Helsmoortel - Mission 2026

In 2026, Hetty turned 40. According to the average life expectancy, she is now about halfway through her life. High time, therefore, to take stock. Ever since the day she could read, she has been driven by science and curiosity. Collecting stones, drawing robots, or trying to build the most stable sandcastles on the beach of Ostend… But will science remain her loyal ally in the second half of her life? What if she gets a diagnosis at 75 for which there is no treatment yet? Will she be angry then, because perhaps too much was dawdled in 2026? Or rather grateful for the progress that was made in that year? Will that latest laundry-folding robot, for which the basis might be laid in 2026, be a blessing by then… or just an extra device that needs to be descaled? Have we really gained more time since the invention of the dishwasher and the tumble dryer? And does her childlike enthusiasm for space travel – with the moon at the forefront in 2026 – remain intact? Even if that moon becomes a place where we dream as much as we look for raw materials? In Missie 2026, Hetty’s hope, humor, and wonder come together again. She looks at the most striking scientific events of 2026 in her own way. For the sixth time in a row, she wants to send the audience back into the world with enthusiasm and a head full of new insights. Over Hetty Wetenschapswatcher Hetty Helsmoortel has one clear mission: to inspire everyone for science and technology. You might know Hetty from the popular Nerdland podcast (together with Lieven Scheire), the Nerdland tear-off calendar, or the Nerdland book series. As a science watcher, she is a regular guest on radio and television. Since 2021, she has been presenting the most remarkable science news of the year in her witty theater tour Mission. In addition, she is the artistic director of the Nerdland Festival, the largest science festival in the Benelux, which attracts around 30,000 visitors annually. After a doctorate in health sciences and eight years of cancer research, she discovered her true calling: giving science a central place in society, as a foothold in an increasingly complex world.