World Space Week is celebrated between 4-10 October each year, and this year the theme is Women in Space. I’ve been fortunate to work with some great female role models in the space industry but, as a recent survey shows, women make up less than one third of the employees in the space sector. There are a vast number and variety of careers linked to the space sector, from space lawyer to an apprenticeship assembling and testing satellites. You can view some video profiles of space careers here.
There are a several events leading up to and during WSW 2021 that your students can get involved in to help them to understand the opportunities out there, we have plenty of exciting and inspiring resources and challenges and competitions to enter too.
Events
September 27-29 - UK Space Conference teacher CPD sessions:
Take part in teacher sessions linked to the UK Space Conference. Find out more here.
September 29th – UK Space Conference Careers Panel (14+)
Join the panel to discuss the different routes into a career in the space sector. The panel ranges in their experience and the area of the space sector they work in, from apprenticeships and internships to engineering, analytics and project management.
4th October onwards
Space companies across the UK will be exhibiting at this free and interactive careers expo.
7th October
STEMFest in Space, presented by Dallas Campbell and Suzie Imber. Join in talks throughout the day, including Dr. Andy Aldrin, Kielder Observatory and Carlos Frenk.
Resources
For primary teachers, we have a guide on how to plan and run your own space week and we have over 50 space context activities on Explorify.
For secondary teachers, our Mars page is a good place to find our latest resources linked to the current NASA Perseverance Mission, and the European ExoMars mission launching next year.
Challenges and Competitions
You can also get involved with ESA/ESERO-UK competitions and challenges kicking off in September.
You can find out more and even register your own WSW event through www.worldspaceweek.org/
STEM Community
Join the discussion on the 'Careers, Clubs and Cross-Curricular' group here.