Our Gifted and Talented students got a taste of space exploration recently thanks to a video chat with NASA Technical Integration Manager Dr Aaron Weaver.
The call was organised by our dedicated Maths teachers, to raise awareness about career opportunities and mathematical links to STEM pathways.
Dr Weaver spoke about his role as a human researcher, helping maintain bone mass in astronauts, and the Artemis program, which aims to land the first female astronaut and next male astronaut on the moon’s south pole by 2024.
He also spoke to students about how Australians could participate in NASA missions and the career opportunities within the agency, including geologists, computer scientists, materials engineers and graphic designers.
Students, in turn, asked Dr Weaver about a range of space curiosities, including his career highlights, astronaut training, what he thought about the 1969 moon landing conspiracies, whether he believed other planets hosted life and, of course, what he thought of the 2008 film Space Chimps!