*THE SUN- 1 MERCURY- 2 VENUS- 3 EARTH- 4 MARS
Back home in Australia, that exclusion was woven into
everyday life. As a public servant myself, it stunned me to learn that until
1966, women in the Australian Public Service were forced to resign when they
got married. It wasn’t until the 1970s that banks would grant a woman a loan
without a male guarantor. Space, like so many fields, was imagined as a male
domain because society was built to make it so.
The women of Artemis II
Fast forward to Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission around the
Moon in more than 50 years, and the contrast is striking. The mission includes
Christina Koch, the first woman to travel to lunar orbit, supported by a
leadership team rich with women engineers, scientists, flight directors and
program managers. This is not symbolic inclusion – it is earned expertise,
visible at the highest level of human endeavour.
Representation, in all its forms, matters because role
models matter. When girls see women shaping history beyond Earth, it quietly reshapes
what they imagine possible here on the ground. The same is true for Victor
Glover, the first person of colour to orbit the Moon.
Artemis II astronaut Mission Specialist Christina Koch is
seen as the Artemis II crew prepares to board NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch
System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II launch, Wednesday,
1 April, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit:
(NASA/John Kraus)
Artemis’ mission of hope
The mission too, in a world full of conflict, has been a
powerful reminder of what can be achieved through working peacefully in
partnership. During astronaut training, we learned about the overview effect –
the cognitive shift that comes from seeing Earth from space. You can’t see
borders from up there. Just a fragile, shared home and a powerful truth: We’re
all in this together.
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What has been heartening for me is the seemingly similar
cognitive shift happening with people here on the ground. This mission has
captured people’s attention and inspired them to look up and out, when there
are so many issues which give us the perfect excuse to look down and in. We are
once again reminded of the power of ambition in grand, meaningful pursuits –
the importance of preparing for the future while, in parallel, confronting the
challenges of the present.
A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II
Commander Reid Wiseman from of the Orion spacecraft’s window on April 2, 2026.
The image features two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light
(bottom right) as the Earth eclipses the Sun. (NASA)
Our future in space
Artemis II has seen humans travel faster and further than ever before, as we test the vehicle and learn new science that will support humans returning to the surface of the Moon later this decade. This time we’re going to the Moon to stay – to unlock science that can teach us about the origins of our Earth which will help us tackle generational issues like climate change. Artemis – like Apollo – will be an engine room for innovation that will revolutionise life on Earth. So much of what we take for granted today can be linked back to the Apollo program.
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But what we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks is just
the beginning of a new phase of discovery as humanity looks to establish a
lunar base on the Moon – and eventually go on to Mars. As the astronauts
themselves have said, they hope their mission is quickly forgotten and
overshadowed by what it paves the way for.
The Artemis II crew (clockwise from left): Mission
Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid
Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover, inside the Orion spacecraft, following a
swing around the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026. (NASA)
Australia’s role in the Artemis mission
Artemis II is a new beginning for space exploration and
Australia’s contribution to it is also just beginning. Our cutting‑edge space
capabilities directly supported the Artemis II mission, including through:
- New
laser communications from the Australian National University which made it
possible to receive high-res video and images from the mission in close to
real time. Funded by the Australian Space Agency, the tech is so much
faster, it’s being described as like when we went from dial-up to
broadband internet.
- And
CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, which helped track the mission
through the dishes it operates across the country.
After 40 minutes of comms blackout while the astronauts went
around the far side of the Moon, it was Aussies at these ground stations
waiting for them as they reemerged.
NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina
Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking
back at Earth, and Australia below, as the crew travels towards the Moon.
(NASA)
Artemis III and beyond
Backed by the Australian Space Agency, our nation’s
contribution to Artemis III and other lunar missions will extend beyond
communications and tracking. From Australia’s first lunar rover, Roo-ver, to
technologies designed to grow plants on the Moon, guide lunar landers, and
analyse Moon minerals – we are putting hardware on the lunar surface.
These projects are helping to grow our nation’s industrial
capability, boost productivity and build economic resilience. For every dollar
the Australian Space Agency has invested into space exploration, seven dollars
have been pumped back into our economy.
Katherine Bennell-Pegg at National Science Week. Photo by
Eugene Hyland.
Girls can dream big
Unlike the Apollo era, where Aussie kids watched on in awe
at the achievements of others, I hope during the Artemis era Aussie kids –
particularly young girls, like my two young daughters – watch on in awe of our
own nation’s achievements. And of what their future could hold.
Katherine with her space engineer husband, Campbell Pegg,
their daughters Hazel (left) and Clara, and Katherine’s father Peter, at the
Australian of the Year Awards 2026. (Photo by Salty Dingo)
Beyond economic and industrial opportunity, space is one of
the most powerful ways to lift the aspirations of our young people. And it’s a
change we desperately need. Australian girls are underperforming boys in Year 4
and Year 8 maths – and that underperformance was greater than in 58 countries
surveyed. It’s not for a lack of potential. We have the lowest ever enrolments
on record in Year 12 intermediate and higher maths, with only one girl
enrolling for every two boys. Fewer than four per cent of Australian engineers
are Australian-born women. The biggest barrier? Many girls simply don’t know
what engineering is. Just like I didn’t. I applied to study physics and ‘space’ engineering
because the word space was in the title.
Pictured from left to right, Angela Garcia, Dr. Kelsey
Young, and Dr. Trevor Graff, the first science officers of the Artemis program
in the White Flight Control Room in the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission
Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. These science officers are seen
monitoring mission data in real-time from the science console. Credit: NASA
That’s why those images of a mission control filled with
powerful, smart women – and a boundary pushing female astronaut orbiting the
Moon – are more than just milestones and observations for the history books. It
says to the next generation that technical careers are places where women can
belong, lead and thrive, without a word even being spoken.
The post Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg: “The most powerful
thing about Artemis II isn’t the rocket” appeared first on The Australian Women's
Weekly./-
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Sao Hỏa tiếng Anh là Mars.
Đặc điểm nổi bật:
- "A year on Mars is 687 Earth days." (Một năm trên Sao Hỏa có 687 ngày Trái Đất),.
Như vậy, khi muốn nói về Sao Hỏa trong tiếng Anh, bạn chỉ cần dùng từ Mars, và có thể thêm các mô tả như "the Red Planet" để nhấn mạnh đặc điểm màu sắc của hành tinh./=
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