Australia's lunar mission boosts space career chances

Interest in space and STEM training is skyrocketing, ever since NASA cherry-picked Australia to design the vehicle for the Artemis moon mission as a result of the country's proven expertise in remote operations.

Programs are being rolled out to entice students and professionals working in the more traditional engineering and resources sector to consider space exploration as a viable career path - an option that for many has been a pipe dream.

"I fell in love with space back in high school. I really like how alien and challenging of an environment it is," Trailblazer intern Lorian Marshall tells AAP.

"A lot of the times in engineering you find yourself just building bridges."

AROSE, one of two Australian consortiums working on early-stage prototypes for the Trailblazer rover, has been inundated with interest in its national education and training programs since it won the bid.

This year it launched its inaugural Milo Mission Academy - an internationally accredited 12-week virtual space mission training program mirroring the lunar robotics mission.

NASA has said those who complete the Milo course can be considered "job ready", as it packs in the equivalent of three years of study in an intensive, virtual, project-based program.

It is designed for tertiary level students or those already in industries like engineering or defence.

"(Some of) those students that are five to 10 years (out of studies), and did their degree in aerospace at a time when it really wasn't an industry," AROSE Director Space and Resources Michelle Keegan tells AAP.

"This is giving them an opportunity to get them deep back into it, via a project that they wouldn't have done at uni anyway ... and gives them the path that they wanted."

Trailblazer is one of three programs funded by Australia Space Agency's $150 million budget.

With the newly invigorated industry, it is an exciting time to be involved, says Ms Marshall.

"I had to because you only get the opportunity to work on a lunar rover once in your life," she says

"I'll never be able to go to space because they had a height limit ... and unfortunately, I do not make the cut.

"But space is definitely becoming a more realistic and accessible thing.

"I really want to keep chasing unique programs, space missions like this. I almost think it's tragic that I've gotten into space so early on in my career because I think once you fall in love with space, there's no going back."

Fellow Milo Mission alumni Tully Mahr was in the first cohort sponsored under the Australian Space Agency's National Indigenous Space Academy to undertake an internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in 2023.

She is passionate about incorporating Indigenous knowledge into modern space science.

"Indigenous Australians are the first scientists, the first engineers, the first astronomers," Ms Mahr tells AAP.

"It is a really under-utilised knowledge system that could really bring a lot of value to modern research and I think the space industry would actually benefit quite a lot from these different perspectives."

Diversity also drives innovation, she adds.

These programs, internships and opportunities are showing young Australians that there is a viable path to pursue in the space industry, she says.

"Being able to educate our students and our young people that there are careers in space that are possible for them when they grow up, and them being able to see that representation and see a potential career path for themselves is really important to establish," Ms Mahr says.

"I hope that by me pursuing a career in this field and pursuing what I'm passionate in that it might inspire other students to do the same - just by being able to see someone like me."

The skills developed on the course are not just space-specific. They can be transferred into other areas of industry like defence, advanced manufacturing or resources, Ms Keegan says.

AROSE has long been encouraging involvement in these subjects from a young age. Its Australian Virtual Astronaut (AVA) challenge was rolled out during COVID to students between years five and 10.

It's the age when students are making decisions about subjects to pursue, Ms Keegan says.

"You make STEM exciting by inspiring them with space," she says.

"And the thing is, by the time these kids at year five, year 10 are in the workforce, there are going to be more and more opportunities. The space industry is growing rapidly. So why not get them ready for it now?"

Ms Marshall agrees, saying the moon mission is inspiring more STEM take-up.

"At school ... you're not seeing the world impacts of (STEM subjects), in a day-to-day world. No one's going to the grocery store and using vectors or geometry to look at triangles," she says.

"Because of that, it makes it really hard for students to connect it to something that is tangible and really important to them.

"So having examples of programs like this ... show that we're there and that it is a pathway that exists. I think it's really important to have that as an example for kids in the classroom."

Australian Associated Press