MISSION 2026 (try-out) - Hetty Helsmoortel

In 2026, Hetty turned 40. According to the average life expectancy, she is now statistically somewhere in the middle. Urgent time to take stock. Because ever since the day she could read, her existence has been filled with science and curiosity. Collecting stones, drawing robots, or trying to build the most stable sandcastles on the beach of Ostend. But does science also remain that faithful ally in the second half of her life? Will the latest wash-build-robot, for which the basis may have been laid in 2026, become a blessing by then… or just an extra device that we have to descale? Because have we actually really gained more time since the invention of the dishwasher and the dryer? And does her childlike enthusiasm about the new and ever-further exploration of space - with the moon at the forefront in 2026 - remain standing? In Mission 2026 , Hetty’s hope, humor, and wonder come together again. She looks in her own way at the most striking scientific events of 2026. Hetty is a welcome guest on radio and television as a science watcher and has written several bestsellers in the Nerdland book series. Since 2021, she has listed the most remarkable science news of the year in her witty theater tour Mission. You also saw her earlier in De Meermin with her Mission 2023. She is artistic director of the Nerdland Festival: the largest science festival in the Benelux, where science is served in an entertaining way. Hetty's mission is clear: to give science the place it deserves in our society, among the people. Because we live in a world that is becoming increasingly complex and chaotic. And in such a context, science can offer a hold for many. ‘Hetty Helsmoortel proves that science can not only inform and amaze, but also entertain.’ De Standaard