Inspiring the next generation of space explorers

Students across Australia are invited to be inspired by space industry professionals during free online excursions being held during National Science Week (9 to 17 August).

The Mission: SPACE program, run by Scitech, is for Year 3 to 6 students. It investigates exciting space-related topics and future career opportunities, inspiring them to explore STEM careers in the space sector.

The 45-minute sessions are centred around this year’s theme of Decoding the Universe and will feature 11 different guests.  

From astronauts to solar storm researchers, the live excursions will be covering topics such as Earth and space, chemistry, physics, biology and some of the unique careers that make up the space industry. 

Morawa District High School primary school teacher Kellie Foster said it’s a wonderful opportunity for students. 

“We are in a regional school area, so excursions and experiences students may enjoy in the city, our students often miss out on,” Ms Kellie said. 

“This is a great opportunity for them to still participate in this tour, gain some great knowledge across the science learning areas and have fun at the same time.” 

Katherine Bennell-Pegg is Australia’s first female astronaut and will be a guest for one of the excursions. 

"These virtual excursions are an important platform to reach into classrooms with thousands of Australian students,” Ms Bennell-Pegg said. 

“I’m grateful for the chance to help inspire this next generation of space innovators through the vast range of careers space offers.” 

There are four excursions on offer, with one happening each day from Monday 11 August to Thursday 14 August. 

The virtual excursions will feature interviews with space experts:  

• Katherine Benell-Pegg, Australian Astronaut, Australian Space Agency 
• Georgia Dallimore, Space Communicator, Australian Space Discovery Centre 
• Catherine Grace, Director Civil Space Policy, Australian Space Agency 
• Aniket Jagtap, Senior Trailblazer System Engineer, Australian Space Agency 
• Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Retired Astronaut, NASA 
• Stephen Moggach, Space Crystallography Lead, UWA School of Molecular Sciences 
• Nat Shearer, Space Systems Engineer, Australian Space Agency 
• Lauren Springer, Space Technology Officer, Australian Space Agency 
• Frazer Thorpe, Education and Engagement Manager, Plants For Space 
• Sze Wai (Anna) Tse, Research Associate, Plants For Space 
• Angie Waszewski, PhD student researching solar storms, The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) 

Mission: SPACE is delivered by Scitech and funded by the Australian Space Agency.  

For more information about the virtual excursions and to register, visit the Scitech website. 

Listen to Inette Henn, manager of Learning Futures at Scitech chat about the upcoming excursions and the importance of STEM here. 

Read about Scitech's previous online excursions on our website.