Space Up! Mentors

Kia ora koutou! I'm an astrophysicist working at Victoria University of Wellington. I grew up in Auckland and, being a bit indecisive, studied Physics, Italian and Spanish at the University of Auckland. I finally made my mind up to carry on with physics for further study, and astrophysics in particular, and was lucky enough to get a scholarship to go to Cambridge University in the UK to do my PhD. I came back to NZ in 2018 and have been at VUW since.

In my research, I study things called clusters of galaxies which are the largest gravitationally bound structures in the Universe. The image above shows a particularly intriguing cluster system where multiple clusters are smashing into each other and different parts are lighting up in different wavelengths of light. See https://public.nrao.edu/news/colliding-galaxy-clusters/ for more info and image credits.

I love looking at things in deep space - it fascinates me to think that from our tiny, insignificant perch in the Universe we can look out and understand objects that are so incredibly far away. Since light travels at a finite speed, we can also look back in time and try to understand how the Universe has developed and grown!

I use big radio and X-ray telescopes for my research, and I also use a lot of computing to try to understand the light that we see and relate it to the physical objects that are producing it. I also teach university students about physics and astrophysics which I find really rewarding.

On the personal level, I balance my work with looking after my two little boys who are 8 and 5. Work-life balance is always a challenge and life is very busy, but in a good way! I also like to garden and get out cycling when I can.

Hi there! I'm a space mentor here at WISANZ and I'm so happy to virtually meet you all. It's not so long ago I was in high school figuring out how to break into space 🚀

For my job, I am a GNC (Guidance, Navigation & Control) Engineer - Mission Design at Rocket Lab. GNC teams at rocket companies are typically tasked with the overall goal of delivering the vehicle’s satellite to the right orbit!

What this entails is usually a bunch of maths and code to navigate (where am I), guide (where do I need to be), and control (how do I get there) the rocket to get its payload to its home in space. GNC also has a lot of input into vehicle design and requirements, modelling and simulating the launch vehicle, as well as designing and optimising the trajectories it uses to get to space. I get to write code that flies a rocket... which is pretty amazing! My team also gets to sit in Mission Control with our headsets on doing operations for a real life rocket launch!

I've been at Rocket Lab ever since I got out of university, where I studied engineering and psychology. But space was a dream of mine since I was a kid – basically just because I had a persistent curiosity for the “unknown”. I felt like space was the thing that humans knew the least about, and I really wanted to be on the frontier of science, so space was my answer to that. Little did I know that my home country NZ was growing a space indsutry just in time for me to join it, and it’s only going to get bigger and better!

Kia ora, koutou! I’m Betina Pavri and I love working at the boundary between engineering and science – helping to design, build, test, and operate instruments and equipment that scientists use to answer important questions. So long as I stay curious and excited about solving the next problem or mystery, I’ll never get bored!

I work as a systems engineer at the Paihau-Robinson Research Institute at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington. Our researchers here are experts in making and testing powerful high-temperature superconducting magnets and are exploring aerospace applications for this exciting technology!

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with no resistance – but they have to be really cold to do so. “High temperature” superconductors need to be cooled to below -200 deg C before they lose their electrical resistance. This technology allows us to create very powerful magnets that use far less power than conventional magnets. This is very useful on spacecraft, where available power is limited.

Right now our researchers are working on two different tasks in parallel:

the Kōkako team has set up a lab to test how these powerful magnets increase the efficiency of thrusters used to move and orient spacecraft.

the Hēki team is designing an experiment to test how the most novel parts of our system – the magnet and its power supply – will survive the environment of space. When Hēki is complete, we’ll send it to the International Space Station to test how well it works & how to improve it. We can’t wait to see astronauts installing Hēki for us!

In my role as systems engineer, I help the researchers design and test a system that works well together and will survive the environment of space. It’s a fantastic job because I’m learning new things every day! My favorite part is working in the lab – sometimes I might be using a pipe-bender so that our experiment will have cooling water, or I might be soldering electrical connections together, or testing our electronics in a chamber which simulates the airless environment of space.

At university, I earned degrees in Physics, Engineering, and Geology, which turned out to be a great match for this sort of work, where I need to know a little about everything. Before coming to Paihau-Robinson, I worked on the engineering and science team for NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover and the Dawn Mission to asteroids Vesta and Ceres. It was such an adventure to see what new things appeared over the horizon with each new set of images we received, and knowing we were the first people ever to see it!

In my non-work hours, I enjoy hiking, biking, and kayaking with my partner (also an engineer). Our son and his partner are engineers, too! It’s great to share what we’ve all learned and support one another.

Kia ora koutou! I'm Kate - I'm an aerospace engineer and I currently work as a consultant in the space sector, working with different New Zealand space companies and research organisations to help them with things like international partnerships and collaborations, working with space regulations and further developing their research or company.

My passion for space started when I was 13 or 14 and I decided I wanted to be an astronaut. So I wrote to NASA to ask them how - and NASA wrote back! While there wasn't a pathway for a New Zealander to become an astronaut (let's caveat that with - yet!), NASA gave me information on the types of skills and qualifications that would help with being selected for their astronaut programme - and that is the entire reason why I became an aerospace engineer!

I studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Canterbury and then straight after graduation I joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), where I worked on Skyhawk and Aermacchi fighter jets (quite a long time ago when NZ had fighter jets!). I then moved to the UK and joined the Royal Air Force, where I worked on Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets. I've also worked in some different commercial roles and even had a UN role monitoring the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea when I was in the RNZAF.

About the same time Rocket Lab started launching rockets from New Zealand, I joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, working in foreign policy. I was very excited to suddenly see a space sector in New Zealand - and all my space dreams from when I was at school came rushing back! I very quickly got myself the role working on international aspects of New Zealand's space policy, and represented New Zealand at a number of international space meetings including the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

I then worked for the New Zealand Space Agency, first regulating rockets and satellites launched from New Zealand and then helping to further develop Aotearoa's space sector, setting up collaborations and partnerships between New Zealand companies and researchers and international space partners like NASA and Axiom Space. I also represented New Zealand on the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, alongside 26 other space agencies including NASA and the European Space Agency.

My true space passion is space exploration - and I'm very excited that there are starting to be more and more New Zealand research teams and companies getting involved in the exciting new era of global space exploration.

I'm so thrilled to be working with all the other incredible WISANZ Committee members and WISANZ Mentors to help get more women and girls involved in space in Aotearoa, and I'm very honoured to be currently serving as President of the WISANZ Committee. I do also do other things outside space! I love the outdoors, love hiking and SCUBA diving and also do a lot of creative writing, including a few (not produced!) movie screenplays.

🚀 Kia ora!

I am a space doctor ( a k a flight doctor - my area of specialization is Aerospace Medicine and Human Factors). I am currently working as a Senior Medical Officer with the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand and also doing work as a Consultant Space Medicine Physician in the private sector.

I have lived and worked in New Zealand for nearly a decade now. Prior to coming to New Zealand i have lived, studied and worked in India, France, US and Singapore.

In my school years, i studied all the basic sciences, including Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Biology and languages. I eventually got into Medical School as i was passionate about human health and with good grades i had, that seemed like a natural progression at the time. Since young, I was also very interested in stars and astrobiology.

After completing my basic medical degree, i was looking for an area of medicine to specialize in, i came across Aerospace Medicine as an option and i took it up and have never looked back since. Aerospace Medicine allowed me to combine my passion for both medicine and space.

I then went on to do my Masters in Space Studies at the International Space University to better understand the interdisciplinary nature of space and then completed my PhD in Human Factors Engineering at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Enginnering, Nanyang Technological University, to further broaden my skills.

Aerospace Medicine is truly an out of the world specialization that draws on the knowledge from many fields and i love the diversity of the subject and equally how it can be applied to healthcare on earth. In my day to day life, as an aerospace physician, i look after the health of those why fly. I do a wide spectrum of work involving clinics, research and education. This enables me to apply my knowledge and skills in a diverse set of roles.

I am currently also a Space4Women mentor with the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, promoting inclusivity and diversity in STEMM careers. https://space4women.unoosa.org/content/2023-mentor-sarita-dara

In my spare time, i love to paint and am a novice astrophotographer.

As a Space Up! mentor, I am keen to be part of your space journey and look forward to assisting you with your space aspirations - be it space health sciences or space medicine or just anything about humans in space!

Ad Astra ✨ or rather Space Up! now ;)

Kia ora koutou katoa, Ko Lisa Brown toku ingoa!

I am a Surgeon and Aerospace Medicine Researcher. I hail from Otautahi Christchurch and Te Taumutu Runanga.

I was interested in Aerospace from as far as I can remember. My grandfather was a jet fighter and test pilot and I always enjoyed his stories of his amazing career. I was further fascinated during high school physics, thinking about Rockets and how they might work. I did the science subjects throughout high school and then decided to travel to Otago University to pursue first year Health Sciences. I was fortunate enough to gain entry to Medical School and started the hard journey of study there. I decided early on that Surgery was my place to be. The hands on nature and busy lifestyle really suited me. I also had an interest in research, and so after gaining entry to Surgical training I travelled to The University of Auckland to undergo a PhD. This was a combination of basic sciences and bioengineering and I decided to up the complexity and undertake some basic Astrophysics papers at the University at the same time.

I then started the kickstart to my Aerospace career. I went to the University of Oxford in the UK as the Aerospace Medicine Research Fellow. I performed research assessing the effects of hypoxia on the body. I then applied to attend the University of Texas Medical Branch Principles of Aerospace Medicine Short Course and was lucky enough to receive their scholarship to attend. As the first New Zealander attending the course it was such a privilege and I was able to spend time at NASA's Neutral buoyancy laboratory and Johnson Space Center. I even managed to pass out in the altitude chamber! I also travelled to Germany and completed an internship with DLR and met some European Space Agency Astronauts.

I decided to put my name forward to sit on the Space Medicine Association international committee and was selected as the first Resident representative. For two years I got to meet virtually monthly with Flight Surgeons from NASA and around the world and hear of all the amazing things happening. This was in the middle of the night for me (NZ time vs US time) and also whilst I was pregnant with my daughter and so receiving congratulations on her birth from a bunch of NASA Astronauts and Flight Surgeons was definitely something to save for her 21st stories.

I continued with my Surgical training and Aerospace Medicine training and research concurrently. I completed further sub-specialty training in Liver and Pancreas Surgery and helped setup the International Space Surgery Association. I'm currently settling into Consultant Surgeon life with a split with Space work at the same time. I have established with a Researcher from Auckland the New Zealand Space Health Research Center, and we are supporting other kiwis who want to learn more about the body in Space.

Although it may sound like a lot of stuff, its been a slow grind. Lots of knock backs but lots of wins along the way. Its seeing the goal and keeping the line despite the bad things that might get thrown in along the way. Aerospace Medicine has taken me a lot of places including combining it with loves of extremes like hiking to Everest and swimming across oceans.

If you have a passion for something you will get there,

Lisa

Hello everyone!!! I'm Libby and I'm another one of the WISANZ mentors here, it's so great to meet you all! I'm super excited to get to know you and be a starting point for you to learn more about space and space careers :D

I'm a Software Engineer at Rocket Lab and have been there for around a year and a half, I joined straight out of university where I studied at AUT where I did a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences where I majored in Computer Science and Software Development. I work in the Operations Software team, and we are help make sure that operations can happen! This includes so many different things, such as, handling all of the data produced in operations and displaying this live to our operators. We also make the livestream UI so if you've ever watched a Rocket Lab livestream you've seen what we do!! (I've also added a picture because I'd never watched one until I started working here 😳) It's super challenging work and there are always so many different problems that we get to solve but there is nothing more rewarding than when everything falls into place and code just works!

I never imagined there would be a career for me in space, I've always found rockets super cool and interesting, but I thought all the work on them would be physical! And though none of the software I work on is directly on the rocket (thank goodness, not sure I could handle that stress!), it's so awesome to have found a career where I could combine my love for software and my interest in rockets.

Hey hey, I'm Jenny and I'm a Mechanical Engineer in the Propulsion team at Dawn Aerospace. I've been working here for the last 2 years building up the rocket engine and control until and testing it. My job is very exciting (nothing more exciting that testing rocket engines! 😁) and is also a lot of pressure sometimes. I find it rewarding because I get to design, build, test and iterate on components and work through the whole cycle of development for our engine which means that when it goes in the plane I know that I've truly had a big part in the final product. A lot of my work in the last year has involved programming the engine control unit. Something really cool about our engine is that it is throttleable and has two firing modes; monoprop and biprop. Biprop is something like 'turbo mode', during a test when we go from monoprop to biprop there is a huge increase in power that you can really hear and feel! We are currently working up to flying the MkII Spaceplane (pictured above) with the rocket engine in it which is going to be a huge step for us and will be really great to see.

I haven't always working in the space industry. Before I started at Dawn I didn't really know there was much of a space industry here in New Zealand - let alone Christchurch. There is so many interesting and diverse companies and projects going on in the space industry here, with many disciplines to choose from and such a variety of jobs available, it's incredible to see and be a part of.

I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University in the USA where I got a scholarship there for tennis. Following this I went to Sweden to do my masters in Turbomachinery and Aeromechanics partly also in Greece. I did 2 years working at the University of Stuttgart in Germany as a researcher for companies like Mercedes and Cummins until I quit and bought a van to travel round Scotland in, climbing rocks and walking up mountains. I love being back in New Zealand and working for a company that is doing great things and I think will do even greater things in the future!