Can I work in the space industry?
Do you think that the space industry is limited to astronauts and billionaires? If so, you need to think again!
You can have so many careers in aerospace. If you look at what most astronauts do, they are not often engineers – they’re medical doctors, they are geologists, they’re biologists. You can come from literally any background to get involved in the space or aerospace industry.
Philipp Sueltrop, Chief Technical Officer at Kea Aerospace
The space industry is going to keep growing. The main thing that slows us down is getting great people.
Stefan Powell, Co-founder of Dawn Aerospace
We need a real diversity of different people coming through the school system.
Sarah Kessans, synthetic biologist at the University of Canterbury
Dream. Be innovative. Think outside the square. Careers that we think of today are not going to be the careers of tomorrow.
David Perenara-O’Connell, Māngai, Tāwhaki Joint Venture
These are a few statements from people working in Aotearoa New Zealand’s space sector. There are many more statements in the video below along with some of the dispositions required for people working in this industry.
So you want to work in space?
Space entrepreneur Mark Rocket says that the aerospace industry needs the full spectrum of people joining it. But what does it take to work in the sector? Watch as a few experts describe the dispositions that can help make space jobs happen.
And remember the words of David Perenara-O’Connell: “Be innovative, think outside the square, because careers that we think of today are not going to be the careers of tomorrow.”
Statements for discussion:
If you look at what most astronauts did – they are not often engineers – they’re medical doctors, they are geologists, they’re biologists. You can come from literally any background to get involved in the space or aerospace industry.
We need diversity because diverse teams solve problems quicker, better, more effectively.
We need Māori rangatahi to be present to develop things that are important to us as Māori.
We also need people who are great communicators.
We’re trying to solve problems that are incredibly complex. All of the easy ones have already been done quite some time ago.
If your teachers aren’t providing you with the knowledge that you are passionate about and that you want to learn, you have to reach out and find that knowledge yourself.
This activity introduces ākonga to 10 people who work in space-related/supported fields. It is designed to foster blue-sky thinking about how and where tamariki and rangatahi might see themselves in the space industry. It supports science and communication literacies.
By the end of this activity, ākonga should be able to:
view videos and video transcripts to gather and interpret information
consider statements about the aerospace industry that resonate with them
consider their own personal dispositions and how these might support a future career in an aerospace industry.
Download the Word file (see link below).
