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    • Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
    Published 25 July 2022 Referencing Hub media
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    The Big Bang1 and dark energy, mātauranga Māori2 and Māori astronomy, lakes and water quality, science fiction novels and movies – these are just a few of the things that inspired engineers and scientists to get involved in the space sector.

    Questions for discussion:

    • Which expert do you relate to the most? Why?
    • How does working with programming languages like Scratch and Alice help prepare people for aerospace jobs?
    • Pauline is an astrophysicist3 and an expert in tātai arorangi4. She speaks about both bodies of knowledge having their own mana5 and sometimes overlapping, which she calls the interface. What do you think she means when she says she enjoys looking at the interface?
    • How are scientists like Moritz and Sarah connected to the space sector?
    • Are you interested in working in space? Who or what has been your inspiration?

    Transcript

    Dr Pauline Harris

    Astrophysicist, cosmologist, kairangahau Māori
    Senior Lecturer, Te Kawa a Māui – School of Māori Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
    Chairperson, Society of Māori Astronomy Research and Traditions

    When I was growing up, I always loved the stars. On my wall, I had a picture of Matariki6, which I knew as the Pleiades.

    Mark Rocket

    Chief Executive Officer, Kea Aerospace
    Founder and President, Aerospace Christchurch

    For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by space technology and the concepts of space. I’m a Star Wars generation kid.

    Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher

    Principal Scientist (Carbon, Chemistry and Climate), NIWA
    Science Leader, MethaneSAT

    I’ve been a science fiction fan since I knew how to read. I cut my teeth on Isaac Asimov novels and Ursula Le Guin novels.

    Dr Pauline Harris

    I am a Star Trek fan. So I love science fiction. I love physics and mathematics, and I love our mātauranga Māori7 and I love Māori astronomy.

    Mark Rocket

    There’s so many fascinating things about the universe8. I’m really surprised that more people don’t think about the context of the world, the Solar System9, the galaxy10, the universe that we live in. Those amazing concepts, you know, from the Big Bang to dark energy, dark matter11.

    Juliet McLachlan

    Software Engineer (Flight Operations), Dawn Aerospace

    My favourite subjects at school were art, design and music. Software, on the other hand, I had been interested in for a very long time. So when I was younger, I worked with Scratch and Alice as well.

    Dr Beata Bukosa

    Atmospheric Modeller, NIWA

    I loved science – specifically physics. I was amazed at everything that that subject covered. I didn’t understand everything, and that was driving me crazy. So I decided I’m going to study it, and I’m going to know everything.

    Dr Philipp Sueltrop

    Chief Technical Officer, Kea Aerospace

    I was never fully focused on aerospace or space. What drew me to aerospace was more like the exploration part – working on the limits. Working in an area that’s unknown – that’s exciting.

    Professor David Noone

    Buckley-Glavish Professor of Climate Physics, Department of Physics, University of Auckland

    As a teenager, I really liked racing little sailing boats, and I had a coach who said, “Well, if you want to win races, you have to learn about the weather12.” And so I thought, “That’s a great idea. I’m gonna go to a university, figure out how the weather works.”

    Mark Rocket

    Doing a life planning day, I wrote down, “I want to go to space.” And when I sold one of my internet companies, I thought, “Well, this is a great opportunity”, and 2007 became the seed investor and co-director of Rocket Lab until 2011. And that was a really exciting journey. These days, I’ve started up Kea Aerospace and I’m also on the committee of Aerospace New Zealand.

    Dr Philipp Sueltrop

    I’m the Chief Technology Officer at Kea Aerospace and leading the technical team towards designing our unmanned aircraft, the Kea Atmos.

    Dr Beata Bukosa

    I’m an atmospheric modeller. I use different models to better understand what’s happening in the atmosphere13.

    Jennifer Blackburne

    Mechanical Engineer (Propulsion), Dawn Aerospace

    I’m a propulsion engineer, a mechanical engineer at Dawn. I think propulsion’s the coolest part of the plane. But also it’s quite tricky because the main challenge we have to work with is heat14 and pressure15. And the main force16 that I work with is thrust17. This is what makes the plane go ppffff.

    Dr Moritz Lehmann

    Aquatic remote sensing scientist
    Senior Scientist, Xerra Earth Observation Institute
    Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, University of Waikato

    I study lakes primarily, but I use the technology that is offered by satellites and satellite18 sensors.

    Dr Pauline Harris

    I am trained in Western science. I learned computer programming, I learned the physics – the understanding of celestial movement. From my mātauranga19, I’ll learn about the relationship celestial movement has with the environment. Both bodies of knowledge have their own mana, and sometimes you’re going to have some overlap, and we call that the interface. And so I like learning both and then looking at the interface.

    Dr Sarah Kessans

    Senior Lecturer, School of Product Design, Faculty of Engineering, University of Canterbury

    I went from plant biology20 and fungal biochemistry21 to space technology development via my participation in NASA’s astronaut candidate selection process. My real passion is to be able to grow food and fuel22 and pharmaceuticals in space.

    Juliet McLachlan

    I am a software and flight operations engineer. I work on software for anything from the flight computer to the ground station. And I also help when we’re out in the field, so that’s the flight operation side.

    Dr Sarah Kessans

    The people that I get to work with are my favourite parts of the research – so the students, our collaborators, our international partners, the engineers helping us design these spacecraft. It’s just a really dynamic23, fun, innovative team.

    Dr Philipp Sueltrop

    So I like hands-on work and working with a really good team of engineers to design something that hasn’t been done in that way.

    Professor David Noone

    Those aircraft missions – they’re really exciting to be involved with – and the team itself ends up being a whole that’s greater than the sum of the parts. One scientist is great, but a team of 20 scientists all staring over new data24 that’s coming in live as you’re flying through these environments, it really sparks the imagination.

    Dr Beata Bukosa

    What excites me about space industry is the numerous possibilities for amazing science. The satellite techniques that we have today can literally get us closer to seeing the whole picture in order to fight climate change25.

    Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher

    It’s exciting to me to bring together two huge passions – to be part of a climate26 solution and to give my children the world that I want them to live in. Ultimately, the job as the Science Leader of the MethaneSAT science programme, it’s as close as I’m ever going to get to my actual dream job – Chief Science Officer on board the USS Enterprise.

    Acknowledgements
    Dr Pauline Harris, Victoria University of Wellington and SMART
    Mark Rocket, Kea Aerospace
    Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher, NIWA
    Juliet McLachlan, Dawn Aerospace
    Dr Beata Bukosa, NIWA
    Dr Philipp Sueltrop, Kea Aerospace
    Professor David Noone, University of Auckland
    Jennifer Blackburne, Dawn Aerospace
    Dr Moritz Lehmann, Xerra Earth Observation Institute
    Dr Sarah Kessans, University of Canterbury
    Timelapse of night sky showing Matariki, Dr Ian Griffin, Otago Museum
    Isaac Asimov (Editor), The Hugo Winners 1963–1967, Sphere, 1973
    Isaac Asimov, Foundation, Granada, 1951
    Isaac Asimov, The Currents of Space, Doubleday and Company, 1971
    Ursula K Le Guin, Planet of Exile, Tandem, 1972
    Ursula K Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, 25th Anniversary Edition, Walker & Co, 1994
    Blackboard diagram, 1000 Pixels/123RF Ltd
    Zooming into the heart of Messier 87, ESO/L. Calçada, Digitized Sky Survey 2, ESA/Hubble, RadioAstron, De Gasperin et al., Kim et al., EHT Collaboration27, CC BY 4.0
    Trieste bathyscape after plunge into Mariana Trough, 1960, copyright www.jeandanielmeyer.com
    Balloon ascending into stratosphere28 and BO3 above the Alps, Solar Impulse Foundation
    Optimist yacht, by Bilby, and stormy ocean footage by Background Video, CC BY 3.0
    Launch of Rocket Lab Atea-1 technology demonstration in 2009 and still of early team with Mark Rocket, Rocket Lab
    Kea Aerospace logo and Kea Atmos concept animation, Kea Aerospace
    Dr Pauline Harris researching with microfiche files and at telescope, Project Mātauranga, Scottie Productions
    Dr Kessans at NASA, University of Canterbury and Dr Sarah Kessans
    Footage of Aurora space plane, Dawn Aerospace
    Dr Sarah Kessans with students, Vaishnavi Anand, New Zealand Students’ Space Association
    Still of Dr Sarah Kessans with Mark Rocket and the Hon. Megan Woods, Aerospace Christchurch
    Students working on CubeSats at University of Auckland, MBIE
    Dr Philipp Sueltrop at computer, ChristchurchNZ
    Gulfstream plane in hangar and taking off, Permian Basin methane29 mapping project with Scientific Aviation30 and the University of Wyoming, animation of MethaneSAT satellite above Earth, courtesy of MethaneSAT and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
    NASA research aircraft with David Noone, Jane Peterson, NASA

    1. Big Bang: This theory describes that the universe originated approximately 14 billion years ago from a violent explosion of a very small concentration of matter of extremely high density and temperature.
    2. mātauranga Māori: A contemporary term referring to Māori knowledge, Māori ways of knowing and associated practice.
    3. astrophysicist: An astronomer who studies the physics of the universe and things in it.
    4. tātai arorangi: Astronomy, knowledge of celestial bodies.
    5. mana: A Māori word relating to authority, control, influence, prestige or power.
    6. Matariki: A star cluster that appears in the early morning sky for the first time in the year in late May or June. It marks the beginning of the Māori New Year.
    7. mātauranga Māori: A contemporary term referring to Māori knowledge, Māori ways of knowing and associated practice.
    8. universe: All matter and energy, including the Earth, the galaxies and the contents of intergalactic space, regarded as a whole.
    9. Solar System: The Sun and objects in orbit around it, including the planets and their moons, asteroids and comets. The Sun is a star like many others in the galaxy.
    10. galaxy: A large-scale collection of stars, gas and dust. Galaxies are held together by gravitational attraction. The Solar System is situated in the Milky Way galaxy.
    11. dark matter: Is an unidentified type of matter distinct from dark energy, ordinary matter and neutrinos. The name refers to the fact that it does not emit or interact with electromagnetic radiation, such as light, and is thus invisible to the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
    12. weather: Daily or short-term conditions like temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and wind affecting a certain area.
    13. atmosphere: 1. The layer of gas around the Earth. 2. (atm) A non-SI unit of pressure equivalent to 101.325 kPa.
    14. heat energy (heat): Heat energy: the transfer of energy in materials from the random movement of the particles in that material. The greater the random movement of particles the more heat energy the material has. Temperature is a measure of the heat energy of a material.
      Heat: the flow of energy from a warm object to a cooler object.
    15. pressure: The force per unit area that acts on the surface of an object.
    16. force: A push or a pull that causes an object to change its shape, direction and/or motion.
    17. thrust: 1. The force that moves an object forward. For example, the thrust of the engines on an aeroplane keeps it moving through the air. 2. A break in the Earth's crust, across which younger rocks are pushed above older rocks.
    18. satellite: Any object that orbits around another object.
    19. mātauranga: Māori cultural knowledge and understanding of the world; Māori wisdom.
    20. biology: The science of living things.
    21. biochemistry: A branch of science that studies how chemical processes occur in living things.
    22. fuel: 1. A combustible substance that provides energy. 2. A body fuel such as fat, carbohydrates and protein that supplies energy for animals’ activities.
    23. dynamic: In science, a process or system characterised by constant change.
    24. data: The unprocessed information we analyse to gain knowledge.
    25. climate change: The large-scale, long-term increase in the Earth’s average temperatures, with associated changes in weather patterns. There is significant scientific evidence that warming is due to increased quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, with most of the rise due to human activity.
    26. climate: The weather conditions of an area averaged over a series of years, usually 30 or more.
    27. collaboration: Working together with a common purpose.
    28. stratosphere: A layer in the atmosphere between 10 to 40 kilometres above the Earth’s surface where the temperature gradually rises from approximately -55 °C to 0 °C. The ozone layer is found in the stratosphere.
    29. methane: CH4, a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect.
    30. aviation: The design, development, production, operation and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.

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    Working in the space sector

    In the 20th century, most people would have considered being an astronaut the number one job related to space. Now, in the 21st century, opportunities to work in the space industry have broadened ...

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      Big Bang

    1. + Create new collection

      2. This theory describes that the universe originated approximately 14 billion years ago from a violent explosion of a very small concentration of matter of extremely high density and temperature.

      tātai arorangi

    2. + Create new collection

      3. Astronomy, knowledge of celestial bodies.

      universe

    3. + Create new collection

      4. All matter and energy, including the Earth, the galaxies and the contents of intergalactic space, regarded as a whole.

      dark matter

    4. + Create new collection

      5. Is an unidentified type of matter distinct from dark energy, ordinary matter and neutrinos. The name refers to the fact that it does not emit or interact with electromagnetic radiation, such as light, and is thus invisible to the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

      heat energy (heat)

    5. + Create new collection

      6. Heat energy: the transfer of energy in materials from the random movement of the particles in that material. The greater the random movement of particles the more heat energy the material has. Temperature is a measure of the heat energy of a material.
      Heat: the flow of energy from a warm object to a cooler object.

      thrust

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      7. 1. The force that moves an object forward. For example, the thrust of the engines on an aeroplane keeps it moving through the air.

      2. A break in the Earth's crust, across which younger rocks are pushed above older rocks.

      biology

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      8. The science of living things.

      dynamic

    8. + Create new collection

      9. In science, a process or system characterised by constant change.

      climate

    9. + Create new collection

      10. The weather conditions of an area averaged over a series of years, usually 30 or more.

      methane

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      11. CH4, a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect.

      mātauranga Māori

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      12. A contemporary term referring to Māori knowledge, Māori ways of knowing and associated practice.

      mana

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      13. A Māori word relating to authority, control, influence, prestige or power.

      Solar System

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      14. The Sun and objects in orbit around it, including the planets and their moons, asteroids and comets. The Sun is a star like many others in the galaxy.

      weather

    14. + Create new collection

      15. Daily or short-term conditions like temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and wind affecting a certain area.

      pressure

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      16. The force per unit area that acts on the surface of an object.

      satellite

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      17. Any object that orbits around another object.

      biochemistry

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      18. A branch of science that studies how chemical processes occur in living things.

      data

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      19. The unprocessed information we analyse to gain knowledge.

      collaboration

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      20. Working together with a common purpose.

      aviation

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      21. The design, development, production, operation and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.

      astrophysicist

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      22. An astronomer who studies the physics of the universe and things in it.

      Matariki

    22. + Create new collection

      23. A star cluster that appears in the early morning sky for the first time in the year in late May or June. It marks the beginning of the Māori New Year.

      galaxy

    23. + Create new collection

      24. A large-scale collection of stars, gas and dust. Galaxies are held together by gravitational attraction. The Solar System is situated in the Milky Way galaxy.

      atmosphere

    24. + Create new collection

      25. 1. The layer of gas around the Earth.

      2. (atm) A non-SI unit of pressure equivalent to 101.325 kPa.

      force

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      26. A push or a pull that causes an object to change its shape, direction and/or motion.

      mātauranga

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      27. Māori cultural knowledge and understanding of the world; Māori wisdom.

      fuel

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      28. 1. A combustible substance that provides energy. 2. A body fuel such as fat, carbohydrates and protein that supplies energy for animals’ activities.

      climate change

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      29. The large-scale, long-term increase in the Earth’s average temperatures, with associated changes in weather patterns. There is significant scientific evidence that warming is due to increased quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, with most of the rise due to human activity.

      stratosphere

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      30. A layer in the atmosphere between 10 to 40 kilometres above the Earth’s surface where the temperature gradually rises from approximately -55 °C to 0 °C. The ozone layer is found in the stratosphere.

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