WHY SPACE?

We are going to the moon on a mission aptly named after the Greek goddesses Artemis. Humanity will take our next giant leap ― landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon!

The frontiers of space are expanding rapidly ― literally and figuratively! Data science and machine learning have helped exponentially expanded our understanding of the cosmos. Our latest telescope technologies allow us to detect faraway galaxies, and chemical signatures for the potential of life elsewhere. Not only are we planning a human trip to the moon, but also a robotic expedition to our neighboring solar system, Alpha Centauri.

Back here on Earth, the space marketplace is predicted to explode to the tune of a trillion dollars in the next few decades. Disruptive innovations ― from the broader participation of emerging space nations to the commercialization of renewed space industries ― have transformed the costly endeavors of regular ole’ space toward the freshly labeled New Space economy.

Our space perspective has broaden the global outlook of our home planet Earth. The latest constellation of nano-satellites facilitate daily telecommunication and navigation service, as well as address critical global challenges ― from safeguarding agricultural yields and wildlife habitats, to monitoring air quality and water reserves, to halting deforestation, overfishing and human rights abuses.

The view from space offers humanity a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place within the cosmos. Bold astronauts who have reached for the stars are forever humbled by the portrait of our delicate home thriving in the vast expanse of space. They experience no boundaries, only a world of connections. Space might just be the perfect place for Earthling to envision a better world for tomorrow.

WHY WOMEN?

The percentage of women working in the space sector has hovered around 20% over the past 30 years!

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) reports that globally women make up only 11% of astronauts, 20% of space industry workers, and 29% of researchers, scientists and engineers. Another UNOOSA study reveals that tween girls are interested in STEM subjects, but become disinterested and discouraged as teenagers citing too few STEM experiences and too few female role models. Women working in the space sector today acknowledge that female mentors and role models ― both real and fictional ― have contributed to their sustained interests space science and exploration as a young person.

NASA astrophysicist Elisa Quintana was a disinterested C student in calculus and physics at her local community college. When she transferred to UC San Diego and Sally Ride became her academic adviser, Quintana admits she was starstruck having gone from no role models in math and science to having the ultimate role model: America’s first women in space. Astronaut Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space, revealed that as a young girl her only accessible role model was the 1960s fictional TV character, Lieutenant Uhura, who aboard Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise boldly reached for the stars where no Black woman had gone before!

HOW TO BREAK THE GLASS CEILING TO THE STARS AND BEYOND?

We want to create modern day space stories as told from the perspectives of diverse women who are forging our future among the stars, and share these contemporary space narratives to broaden public knowledge and energize public discourse about our space futures.