Science Communication for Space

[Music plays and an image appears of the Earth against a night sky, and inset hexagonal images appear showing a female working on a computer, a satellite dish, and a female working in a Space lab, and text appears: Space Careers Wayfinder]

[Image changes to show a view of the Australian Space Discovery Centre]

[Image changes to show Alice Fairey standing in the Australian Space Discovery Centre and talking to the camera, and text appears: Alice Fairey, Space Communicator, Australian Space Agency SA]

Alice Fairey: I’m Alice. I’m a Space Communicator and a Programs and Operations Officer here at the Australian Space Discovery Centre.

[Images flash through to show people talking outside the Australian Space Discovery Centre, students looking at displays inside, Alice showing a group through the Centre, and Alice talking to the camera]

My role is very focused on communicating the science to the general public, to school audiences and so on, and showing people through the gallery, doing a lot of programme development,

[Images move through of a presenter talking to an audience, students interacting with the displays inside the Centre, and Alice talking to the camera again]

coming up with workshops, outreach experiences, designing fun ways to get space out to people.

[Image changes to show a satellite orbiting the Earth, and then the image changes to show an aerial view looking down on the Australian Space Discovery Centre]

Space is the big emerging science industry for Australia. It’s where a lot of the exciting opportunities are.

[Image changes to show Alice talking to the camera]

I never expected to work in the space industry.

[Image changes to show a close view of Alice talking to the camera]

I wasn’t one of the kids who wanted to be an astronaut.

[Image changes to show a close view of molecules moving around on the screen, and then the image changes to show liquid being poured into a beaker]

I was always drawn to science. I studied Physics and Chemistry for Year 12.

[Image changes to show a close view of swirling pink and purple colours]

I did a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Applied and Plasma Physics.

[Image changes to show a view of a wind farm operating with a sunset in the background]

At that point in time, I was really interested in sustainable technologies.

[Image changes to show Alice talking to the camera]

I sort of fell into science communication while I was studying.

[Image changes to show a male looking at a bank of computers, and then the image changes to show students interacting with displays inside the Centre]

Through that I discovered more about it and have become really excited about what Australia’s doing and what opportunities are out there.

[Image changes to show Alice talking to the camera]

It really is a new, sort of, frontier both for research and for industry.

[Image changes to show the front entrance of the Australian Space Discovery Centre, and then the image changes to show students interacting with displays in the gallery]

We are in the gallery at the moment at the Discovery Centre.

[Images move through to show a rocket blasting off, a satellite orbiting around the Earth, Alice talking to the camera, students looking at displays in the gallery, and an Australian map with pinpoints]

We’ve got exhibits ranging from ways that we get to space and move spacecraft around once they’re up in orbit through exploring what it might be like to live on a space station, having a look at Australia’s direct involvement with space through history, where we collaborate with other countries, like having receiving stations for NASA for example,

[Images move through of Alice talking to the camera, and then a close view of a rocket]

or retrieval missions with the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA.

[Images move through to show a very close view of a satellite orbiting Earth, a night view of a satellite orbiting Earth, and then Alice talking to the camera]

We also have opportunities to explore the kind of questions around space and working in space and exploring it that you might not immediately think of through things like our ethics kiosk.

[Images move through of a satellite moving over the Earth, a close view of the Earth, a huge wave crashing onto a breakwater, and a view looking down on a swirling cloud near the Earth]

Space influences all our lives already in terms of communication, keeping track of what’s going on down here on Earth, so much of our weather data and forecasting is coming from satellites looking back toward the Earth.

[Images move through of students walking inside the Space Discovery Centre and sitting down in couches, and then the image changes to show students talking to a female seated at a desk]

I’ve been at the Australian Space Discovery Centre for almost a year now.

[Image changes to show Alice talking to the camera and the camera zooms in on Alice talking to the camera]

Before that, I’ve done a few different things. It’s something that I think is nice about being science trained. You’re trained in flexibility and problem-solving alongside your actual subject areas.

[Images move through to show a side view of Alice working on a computer, a facing view of Alice talking to the camera, and then various displays inside the Space Discovery Centre]

I’ve worked as a science communicator with a small company here in South Australia, studied and worked with the ANU and Questacon, again doing science communication.

[Image changes to show Alice talking to the camera, and then images move through to show a close view of a microscope, and students looking through microscopes in a lab]

In between that I’ve worked as a repair technician for biomedical instruments, as a lab manager at a high school.

[Images move through to show Alice talking, school students working together at a table, Alice talking to the camera, students writing formulas on a blackboard, and then multiple formulas]

The advice that I now would have given to myself in Year 10, I’d definitely be encouraging myself to take something in science, stick with the maths, even if you’re not totally sure yet that’s the direction you’re planning on going,

[Image changes to show Alice talking to the camera]

and not to worry too much about it.

[Image changes to show students looking at a display in the Space Discovery Centre, and the camera zooms in on the display]

Having some science background opens a lot of doors.

[Image changes to show Alice and a male looking at a display and the camera zooms in on a display]

One of the things that often surprises people coming in here is how involved Australia is in space.

[Image changes to show Alice talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show satellite dishes with a sunset in the background]

There is so much going on in the space industry at the moment.

[Image changes to show a view of the Moon’s surface, and then the image changes to show a very close view of craters on the Moon]

We’re joining in with returning to the Moon, sending an Australian-developed lunar rover as part of the Artemis Missions,

[Images move through to show Alice talking to the camera, an astronaut in the foreground, and a satellite behind, Alice talking, a rocket being launched, and Alice talking to the camera]

Australian astronauts without needing to head off to the States and join the Astronaut Corps or similar with other countries, launch sites already being set up to launch rockets from Australia. There’s one right here in South Australia down at Whaler’s Way.

[Camera zooms in a little on Alice talking, and then the image changes to show the surface of Mars]

There are several others that potentially have licenses coming up, so we should be seeing launches from Australia in the very near future, and we are very well positioned as we return to the Moon and on to Mars.

[Image changes to show a male watching a machine in operation, and then the image changes to show Alice talking to the camera]

We’re heading towards 20,000 new jobs in the space sector by the end of the decade, by 2030.

[Image changes to show a satellite orbiting in space]

 

[Music plays and the image changes to show the CSIRO logo and text: CSIRO, Australia’s National Space Agency, Space Careers Wayfinder 2022 except where otherwise indicated, The Space Careers Wayfinder materials may be used, reproduced, communicated and adapted free of charge for non-commercial educational purposes provided all acknowledgements associated with the material are retained, Space Careers Wayfinder is a collaboration between the CSIRO and ANU]

 

[Image changes to show Australian National University logo]