Mullewa District High School students meet Australia’s first qualified female astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg

Kids from Mullewa District High School enjoyed a rare, out of this world experience this week when travelling to the Murchison to learn about space and being able to quiz Australia’s first qualified female astronaut. The Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory hosts the Square Kilometre Array, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, and the Murchison Widefield Array, all of which are used to survey the sky. The Mullewa students had a special visit onsite on Thursday, looking at how the radio telescope operates, and learning firsthand from astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg about what space has in store. The 39-year-old recently completed a 13-month European Space Agency training program in Germany to become a qualified astronaut, and now awaits a mission to enter outer space. She was one of the 25 people who passed all selection stages from the ESA, from a field of 22,500 applicants. Ms Bennell-Pegg hoped to inspire the next generation to follow their dreams. “It’s phenomenal to be here and I’m inspired to be here in the heart of Australia which is also the future of us being able to understand the universe around us,” she said. “The facilities here are going to unlock so much new knowledge about what we know about the early universe. “I was inspired into becoming an astronaut by the view of the stars above me, so I hope many of the kids here are similarly inspired by seeing what’s happening on the ground.” Kids asked her a variety of questions about science of the universe, as well as how they do things in space, including breathing and cooking. When asked if she was afraid of going to space, Ms Bennell-Pegg said the support she got from her peers helped take the stress away. “Going to space is risky, doing things that are important can often be hard,” she said. “I’m not so scared because I’ve spent the last few years learning how to build satellites and space stations, and I know there’s a lot of people that care and do their best to build them really safe. “You’re part of one big team and you’re looking out for each other.” ARE WE ALONE? Report Page 9