Melissa Quinn, General Manager of Seradata, introduces her new regular column.
Melissa Quinn wears the Slingshot Aerospace logo. Courtesy: Seradata/Melissa Quinn
If any of you have ever heard me speak at an event, or on my social media, you would have heard me reference Good Space. Good Space is my ‘why’ – the thing that gets me up every morning, and the reason I love our industry. Good Space is, simply, how we use space to benefit life on Earth.
When I speak – specifically to young people – about space, one of my favourite ways to start is by asking children to put their hands up if they used space that day. Did their parents use GPS to navigate the school run? Did they lace up their Nike Air trainers, or enjoy a bowl of cereal? I do the same with adults. Have they used telehealth, emergency alerts, or been shopping online? Adults and children are always amazed at how they touch space daily. Yet the majority still do not realise how much they benefit from it, and we often see this playing out in the media as ‘wasting’ limited money and resources on ‘vanity projects’.
My column will explore some of the stories from the month that remind us about ‘Why We Go’ and how countries, companies and individuals are using space to do good. From monitoring global threats like, volcanos, conflicts, wildfires and the climate crisis to making our daily lives more fun, creative and inclusive. I want to bring stories from all across different areas like fashion, healthcare, nature and sport to show us how far reaching this incredible industry is.
Written by Melissa Quinn
