CELESTIAL STATION

I’ve tried to write this post many times. It’s been tough because, although I’ve done this twice before, I still fear the judgment and stereotyping that often follows. It’s unfortunate that something that brings me so much personal joy remains for many women a point of conflict in their careers.

I’m pregnant and expecting the last member of my crew later this year! We are thrilled to be growing our family, but I have long worried how this would impact my growing company. During these strange pandemic times, I’ve been able to keep the focus on myself, my company, and the aspirations that I have to make space a more inclusive and engaging industry. I’ve been given the privilege of largely virtual meetings where my personal life choices could be concealed for as long as possible.

And here is why I still have to fight off anxiety and panic as I hit the post button.

If this month has taught me anything, it’s that we need to be less dismissive of each other and more considerate of those that may hold opinions regarding the space industry, and commercial space in particular, that are different from our own. 

Events that might be viewed with excitement by some may be painful or triggering for others. I hope we can seek to approach those with perspectives that might not match our own with kindness and openness. I’m afraid some of my worst fears of polarization regarding the space industry have come to fruition over the past few weeks and speak to a broader issue that has been brewing for decades. 

An interesting and rarely discussed history exists between NASA and the field of urban planning. I am grateful to Nicholas de Monchaux, Head of Architecture at MIT, for reviving this history in his book, Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo, a highly compelling read with a tremendous collection of Apollo-era photographs. In particular, I was fascinated to learn about the three-week brainstorming session that was jointly organized by NASA and the Department of Urban Housing and Development in 1966.

Planning a city in space seems pretty wild until you realize you’re already living in a city in space. By no means do I intend to trivialize all of the challenging technical and biological hurdles that we still have ahead of us if we are to inhabit other parts of the solar system – humans have of course been granted a tremendous head start with a kind and forgiving home planet. Nonetheless, I think it’s quite likely that humans will eventually find a way to become interplanetary and the exponential pace of technological progress implies it might even happen sooner than we think.

Generally, when I mention to people that I am interested in planning future cities in Outer Space, if they don’t immediately assume that I’m reading too much science fiction, they often express concern about focusing on anything other than the present state of Earth. And certainly, it is valid to question where time and money are spent when we have no shortage of atrocities and challenges to address on our home planet. Earth is and should be our first priority – at least for the foreseeable future. But it doesn’t mean that we can ignore the context in which we live. If we consider the interconnectedness of climate science and space science; innovation and exploration; equity and progress – we might even uncover new ways of working toward a more just society.

Welcome to Celestial Citizen. I’m opening the virtual doors to something that has held my mind captive for longer than I care to admit. It’s finally time for this conversation to reach a life of its own, bring more people to the table, and hope that this future vision that shapes my entire world view might also galvanize an audience of spirited star-gazers to demand better for Earth and beyond.