On Tuesday, July 22nd, I woke up at around 5:30 AM in Las Vegas, Nevada, to the most pump-up music you could ever imagine. When I stepped out of my hotel room, I was immediately greeted by the smiling Las Vegas sphere, which never failed to amaze me. About two hours later, I was sitting inside Caesar’s Forum. Then, about 30 minutes later, two astronauts directly from the ISS were interviewed live during the opening session. This was the amazing start of my first day at the AIAA ASCEND Conference.
Before the opening session, we met the Higher Orbits team. This included Michelle, Higher Orbits founder and CEO, and the most amazing person in the world. Shelby, Higher Orbits intern and social media manager. Rachel, a fellow lover of space medicine. Maisy, a recent Embry-Riddle graduate. Sarah, who had already launched into the industry. Nikhita, a Rising Star in Aerospace. My brother Aaron, a rising high school senior and lover of all things cars. And me, a 13-year-old state science fair champion and a lover of public speaking, with a deep passion for the intersection of biology and space.
The opening session was a live interview with two astronauts on the International Space Station. It was out of this world. From there, I spent the day going to space medicine sessions, accompanied by Rachel, and taking breaks in between events in the Expo Hall. This conference served as the ultimate update on everything that is happening in the space industry from all angles. It was even more evident that ASCEND had much diversity, which further demonstrated that our mission in space involves numerous international partners and interdisciplinary collaborations. At 3:30, we headed out to watch Michelle host a session called “Astrodebates,” where professionals debated on a hot topic in the space industry. In the evening, we headed out to our team dinner.
Day two felt the longest for me. I spent most of my day going to technical space medicine sessions, learning about new, cutting-edge research and technology. Including a robotic arm that performs telesurgery and research on how microgravity affects the epithelial layer. But the most important event of the day was our student panel. Rachel, Nikhita, Aaron, Maisy, and I were speaking at The Hub about our experiences and aspirations in STEM. The panel went extremely well; the crowd seemed like they were about to burst into applause the moment we went on stage. Bright, encouraging smiles flickered everywhere, and none of us were nervous once we saw a crowd of happy faces. All my thanks to Michelle and Higher Orbits for this opportunity for us to shine on stage. Later in the day, we moved on to watch the “Things I Wish My Younger Aerospace Self Knew” session, which included both Michelle and Sarah. We were able to learn about the twists and turns of the panelists’ journeys. That closed day two of ASCEND for us. But the fun was just barely starting.
The group and I decided to go to In-N-Out for dinner and then explore the bright city of Las Vegas. After a delicious burger, Nikhita, Maisy, Rachel, Aaron, and I walked around the nearby hotels with Shelby as our tour guide. We had ice cream, took pictures, and explored iconic landmarks.
The third day began with a workshop about ways to communicate science effectively. We split up into groups, and the panelists came to our tables, getting to know our challenges and giving us tips. At noon, I attended perhaps one of my favorite sessions, which was a lecture on SPHEREx, a spectroscopic mapping machine. It was a jaw-dropping experience listening to the years of planning and designing for this cosmic mapper. Later in the day, I attended a session that explained Large Language Models (LLMs) and their uses. Lastly, I attended a very promising session titled “Why Learning the Language of Business Can Increase the Likelihood of Funding Request Approval.” This was an amazing closure to my third and final day at ASCEND.
As you may have realized from this blog, my time at ASCEND was more than I could have ever imagined. I made a fantastic group of friends who accompanied me to spectacular sessions. The amount of knowledge I gathered at ASCEND is unfathomable. Some of it feels like it’s been in my brain since birth, while some still blows my mind every time I think of it. This conference proved just how far into the future we are, and I’ve come to find that we are already ahead on some of our most ambitious space dreams. My eternal thanks to Michelle and Higher Orbits for granting me this opportunity and for trusting and believing in me, even with such prime matters. I am excited for the waves of discoveries that will overcome this industry, and the ripple effects of the innovations I have learned about in my precious time at AIAA ASCEND.
Written By Stellar Student Rachel Blevins
