Yesterday, astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg was named Australian of the Year for her remarkable achievement in becoming the first Australian to qualify as an astronaut.
Bennell-Pegg has been something of a high flyer (ahem) for some time before graduating from the European Space Agency’s training program in 2024. The highly competitive 12-month program included learning Russian, long hours in scuba gear to practice spacewalks, and time spent in oxygen low-pressure chambers. She has since returned to her job as director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency.
In her acceptance speech over the weekend, she said: “as a kid, I used to lie on the dry grass in my backyard and gaze up at the stars in awe”.
“That imperative to look to the sky and wonder, to innovate and explore is an ancient one on this continent. Australia’s First Nations peoples’ deep connection to sky country reminds us that looking up has always been part of who we are. I’m humbled to be recognised amongst the absolutely incredible Australians in the room tonight, and beyond”.
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Her determination to keep her sights set on what inspires her has seen her become not only incredibly successful, but an inspiration to other young girls to believe in their dreams, too.
Bennell-Pegg spends time speaking to school children and industry leaders about space.
As a mother of two and a senior leader, she challenges the traditional image of astronauts, proving that women can lead in space exploration and engineering.
“During astronaut training, we learned about the overview effect, the cognitive shift that comes from looking back at the earth from orbit.
“You can’t see borders from up there, just a fragile shared home and a powerful truth — we’re all in this together. Because space is not about escaping the earth, but about helping us see it more clearly”.
Bennell-Pegg has advocated for young Australians to have the same “give it a go” attitude towards science and maths as they do sport. She said people were “stepping away” from STEM, something which should worry all of us.
“For Australia to be able to influence and to contribute to addressing the global issues of the next years, the next century, we need every curious mind engaged, regardless of gender, of background or of postcode”.
The Sydney-born aeronautical engineer and physicist’s biggest ambition is yet to be fulfilled. She is waiting for a spot on a mission, possibly to the International Space Station.
The death of her mum from cancer 14 years ago has been a driving motivator throughout her endeavours. Bennell-Pegg is a huge believer in the medical and scientific advances that can be made from experiments conducted in space, where some of the traditional rules of chemistry and biology are flipped on their head.
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