Western Australia positioned to take a major role in the future of space exploration

The positioning of Western Australia to take a major role in the future of space exploration was a topic of discussion when Deputy Administrator of NASA Pamela Melroy and US Consul General Siriana Nair met with the Governor and Mrs Dawson this morning.

Having served more than two decades in the Air Force, as a co-pilot, aircraft commander, instructor pilot and test pilot and as a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Just Cause, Ms Melroy went on to become an astronaut for NASA. She is one of only two women to command a space shuttle and has spent more than 38 days in space across three missions to build the International Space Station. In June 2021, Ms Melroy was sworn in as the NASA Deputy Administrator, a role that sees her involved in representing the agency to the Executive Office of the President, Congress, heads of federal and government agencies, international organisations and communities.

Impressed by the advancing technology, infrastructure and skills within our resources sector, Ms Melroy believes Western Australia has proven it has the cutting-edge robotics capabilities that are needed in space.

She spoke of space congestion – an issue that poses challenges for NASA and future space exploration, with approximately 8,000 satellites and 30,000 pieces of space debris orbiting the earth at extremely high speeds (around 25,200 kph).

The Governor and Deputy Administrator also shared their deep respect and admiration of Indigenous astronomy. As the oldest astronomers in the world (long before Babylonian and Greek astronomers), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed ways to read constellations and use them as a map for navigation, seasons and cultural practices – knowledge that has been passed down through the generations for thousands of years.