Recently, I was pleased to join the Astro Ben Podcast to discuss several matters related to Voyager and the future of commercial space. During my conversation with show host Ben Gamble, we also explored space exploration’s implications for positive social change and accessibility – a topic about which I remain highly passionate and strive to carry on through our work with Space For Humanity, which aims to broaden space access and send more purpose-driven leaders into space annually.
Opening New Doors
Since the inception of modern commercial space flight, there has been a prevailing notion of space as a highly exclusive, affluent boys’ club. This perception has only compounded a longstanding sense of gatekeeping and general inaccessibility within space flight at large. In turn, everyday citizens may feel dissuaded from even considering the possibility of going to space, which stands to undercut the curiosity, ambition, and intellectual empowerment driving today’s space industry to previously unfathomable new horizons.
Space for Humanity aspires to offer a solution to this issue: providing the full means of sending everyday citizens into space and, subsequently, entering these individuals into space-related fellowship programs aimed at communicating space’s importance and using those insights to make a stronger, healthier Earth and celebrate our collective existence. The latter stems from a concept known as the overview effect, a revelatory cognitive shift in which astronauts, during their time away, gain a fresh perspective on the beauty and miraculousness of life on Earth.
Inspiring Change
We are proud to have sent numerous everyday citizens to space since the program’s launch. To learn more about the organization and to join the movement go to www.spaceforhumanity.org
