Should people go into outer space? What about returning to the moon, or perhaps going even further to other celestial bodies? These questions regained a sense of urgency in the mainstream with the so-called “Billionaire Space Race” of 2021 and the steady drumbeat of space-related news throughout the year. With the Mir and ISS space stations, humans have maintained a continual presence in low earth orbit for over 35 years now. So perhaps the question should be: What are the benefits of human spaceflight and are they worth it? If so, for whom?
To consider these questions, we brought together researcher and designer Angeliki Kapoglou, scientist and musician Divya Persaud, and engineer and writer Joalda Morancy. Their deep knowledge of humanity’s endeavors in space and in relation to contemporary society made this a fascinating conversation about a topic of global importance. Curated and moderated by Nick Travaglini (Liberal Studies - The New School), Co-Chair of New School Policy and Design for Outer Space (NSPDOS) of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.
Angeliki Kapoglou is part of ESA’s Moon Strategy and the Low Earth Strategy Teams. The last seven months, she’s also part of the newly established Solaris team, for assessing the potential of Space-based Solar Power for contributing to the Net Zero goals. Her research is focused on the emerging commercial lunar ecosystem, ESA’s new space resources strategy and assessing future lunar exploration scenarios; while developing European priorities and activities for a sustainable future on the Moon. Angeliki is also contributing to ESA’s Post-ISS commercialisation strategy for Low Earth Orbit and the Moonlight (Lunar Communications & Navigation) Commercialization Team. Before that, Angeliki spent two years at one of the world’s leading centers for innovation, the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the d.school) at Stanford University. In the past, she also worked at CERN and NASA’s JPL Innovation Foundry on creative methodologies for early space mission concept formulation and she’s passionate about working at the intersection of science, engineering, policy, art, and design.
Divya M. Persaud (she/her) is a planetary geologist, writer, composer, and speaker. She is a postdoctoral scholar supporting missions to explore Jupiter's moon Europa, and recently completed her Ph.D. where she applied 3D imagery to probe Martian geology. Divya has spoken and worked internationally on issues surrounding the historic and cultural contexts of space exploration, including as a co-founder and co-organizer of the conference Space Science in Context and a board member of the JustSpace Alliance. Divya is passionate about bridging science, engagement, activism, and the arts.
Joalda Morancy is a recent graduate of Astrophysics from the University of Chicago, their interests deriving from topics within human spaceflight engineering, planetary science, and science communication. Joalda has previously worked on research and development for a direct drive, fusion-powered rocket engine at Princeton Satellite Systems, radiometers and Earth science satellites at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and most recently environmental control and life support systems for Orbital Reef, an LEO mixed-use space station, at Blue Origin. In the future, they hope to continue to work at the intersection of their passions while also communicating the importance of space exploration to the greater public.
Nick Travaglini (Liberal Studies - The New School) is a Co-Chair of New School Policy and Design for Outer Space (NSPDOS) of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. NSPDOS focuses on the social aspects of space, and Nick studies the production and maintenance of these endeavors' vital technical infrastructures.