Hi there, JustSpace friends and followers, and welcome to our final newsletter of 2022! We’ll dive into the latest news and writing on space and social justice, but first, we’re happy to present a short piece by JustSpace member Solteria Ross, who asks “Who is the Future of Aerospace?”

Who Is the Future of Aerospace?

by Solteria Ross

On October 23-25th 2022, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) hosted ASCEND, an annual AIAA conference that brings together industry, academia, government and other facets of aerospace for valuable networking and significant discussions. As a virtual attendee, I observed many hybrid panels, spanning from talks about orbital debris management to how the industry is adapting to this new age of a hybrid work environment. 

The most intriguing panel of the conference, in my opinion, was “A Workforce for the Future of Space”. This panel, made up of representatives from NASA, AIA, Foundation for the Future, UT El Paso, and The Boston Consulting Group, seemed to recognize the hard truths of the makeup of the aerospace workforce right now, as stated straightforwardly in the panel description: “overwhelmingly white collar, male, and upper middle class”. Therefore, a new workforce development model is necessary to address this issue, with the panel citing several takeaways that could help this workforce be more reflective of our growing, diverse society. 

• Aerospace for All: It is crucial to understand that there is a place in space for everyone, no matter where their background or interests lie. In order to address this, the industry needs to meet communities where they are instead of solely looking towards people with “cookie-cutter” aerospace characteristics, such as advanced degrees or previous experience within the industry. Companies need to be more open to applicants with academic backgrounds in community colleges or trade schools, and be more receptive to work experiences outside of aerospace. 

• The Digital Racial Gap: As reported by the Harvard Business Review, “70% percent of Black and 60% of Hispanic respondents report being underprepared with digital skills, affecting their employability…Without additional intervention to close this divide, a majority of Black and Hispanic workers could be locked out of 86% of jobs by 2045”. This point was brought up within the panel with a clear understanding that underrepresented talent is being shut out based on historical disadvantages, placing marginalized individuals in an unjust situation compared to their counterparts who make up the majority. 

• DEIA + Culture Shift builds Diverse Communities: A good amount of the aerospace workforce made it to the industry because they are able to see people like themselves represented there already, but that is not the case for people who are underrepresented in aerospace, and thus often isolated in the field. With the commitment of embarking on a cultural shift along with applying Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), the aerospace workforce can build authentically diverse communities which would help recruit and retain marginalized individuals within the field. 

Acknowledging that there is an issue is one thing, but implementing real change is the true battle. This means understanding that there are financial, societal, and structural barriers for some who want to pursue aerospace avenues. To create a more egalitarian industry, aerospace needs to incorporate a Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies framework, including concepts such as decolonization, stewardship, and establishing social equity. As socialist Patricia Hill Collins writes, “Paradigm shifts are significant because they describe what happens when traditional frameworks no longer sufficiently explain social realities and thus become ineffective”. “A Workforce for the Future of Space” seemed to recognize that the aerospace workforce needs to undergo a paradigm shift to eventually reflect a workforce of various backgrounds. Ultimately, space has the potential to improve the lives of everyone. Consequently, it will take a more diverse workforce to successfully lead humankind in future space endeavors. No matter who you are or where you come from, there is a place in space for you.

News

Increasing Diversity in Spaceflight

NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann became the first Indigenous woman in space last month on October 5. Mann, Wailaki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, commanded the Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station, where she will live and work for the next several months.

AstroAccess has announced that their second parabolic flight will take place next month, on December 17. The disabled participants on AstroAccess flights use the simulated weightlessness to perform accessibility research, investigating how spacecraft design and technology can make space travel more accessible.

The Growing Ban on Anti-Satellite Missile Testing

Australia has become the eighth nation to pledge not to conduct direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing. The initiative, led by the United States, is motivated in part by the risk posed by orbital debris by destroyed satellites, such as the one destroyed by a Russian ASAT test a year ago.

JWST Naming Controversy

Last month, the Royal Astronomical Society submitted a letter to the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency, and NASA expressing concerns about the controversy surrounding the naming of the James Webb Space Telescope. The RAS requested that the results of NASA’s investigation into the telescope’s namesake be made public, and stated that until this occurs, the RAS “expects authors submitting scientific papers to its journals to use the JWST acronym rather than the full name of the observatory.”

Just this past week, NASA finally released the report from their investigation of James Webb and the naming of the telescope, stating that they “found no evidence that Webb was either a leader or proponent of firing government employees for their sexual orientation”. The authors of the #RenameJWST petition released a statement in response, noting that they are “deeply concerned by the implication that managers are not responsible for homophobia or other forms of discrimination that happens on their watch”, and promising to “keep fighting for a future that includes us all”.

Artemis 1 and NASA’s Return to the Moon

Early in the morning hours of November 16, the Artemis 1 mission (finally) successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center, demonstrating exciting success for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) and a step forward in their plan to return astronauts to the lunar surface. The launched Orion spacecraft made its closest approach to the Moon just a few hours ago. Congrats to the Artemis team!

To Listen/Watch

• Space lawyer Timiebi Aganaba discussed governance in space on a recent episode of Sean Carrol’s Mindscape. The conversation included the importance of broadening our definition of a “spacefaring country”, the need for a new narrative for the space industry beyond the Cold War era, and why space is not the Wild West.

• Light pollution researcher and space lawyer Yana Yakushina was interviewed by AJ Link on “Dark Skies and Light Pollution” for the Pod Ad Astra podcast.

• Joe O’Rourke and JustSpace Board member Tanya Harrison interviewed JustSpace member and religious studies scholar Mary-Jane Rubenstein on a recent episode of the Mission: Interplanetary podcast. Rubenstein discussed her upcoming book, Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race and asked “What does religion have to do with space exploration?”.

• Humanity in Deep Space hosted an all-star panel on “Maximizing Human Assets in Space”, exploring disability and accessibility in space. The panel featured Ashley Shew, Sheri Wells-Jensen, and JustSpace Board member Damien Williams, and was moderated by Kris Kimel and JustSpace Board member Savannah Mandel.

To Read

• In Scientific American, Joshua Sokol warned that “The Sky Needs Its ‘Silent Spring’ Moment”, describing the harmful effects of light pollution on everything from astronomy to pollinating insects. And Rebecca Boyle argued more specifically that “Satellite Constellations Are an Existential Threat for Astronomy”.

• Jason Wright, Chelsea Haramia, Gabriel Swiney, published an interesting paper Space Policy on the “Geopolitical Implications of a Successful SETI Program”, arguing for transparency and data sharing in SETI programs, and further development of protocols for what to do if a SETI signal is detected.

• Eric Berger reported in arstechnica on a new study assessing the feasibility of flying formations of reflective satellites to create ads in the night sky. Berger’s succinct take: “How about no.”

• Maria Santaguida, Judith Lapierre, and Simon Dubé wrote an excellent piece in The Conversation on “#MeToo in space: We must address the potential for sexual harassment and assault away from Earth”. Including victim-survivors in the conversation, the authors write, “is essential to ensure the safety of Earth-based and space environments, and ethically conduct much-needed scientific research on human spacelife.”

• JustSpace Board Member Monica Vidaurri wrote a fantastic and personal guest post for astrobites on her  “Latinx Heritage Month Experience”.

• The discussion around the controversial naming of JWST after former NASA Administrator continues: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explored her complex emotions surrounding the telescope for New Scientist in “The extraordinary JWST is named for James Webb, whose legacy I deplore”. And Jason Wright has an excellent write-up on his blog on “Why NASA should have a do-over on the name of JWST”.

• JustSpace co-founder Erika Nesvold published an article for the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on “Closing the Gaps: Space Policy Considerations Beyond Security and Economy”. "There’s more to life (and [space] policy) than national security and economic regulation", Nesvold writes.

Take Action

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