Greetings, Space Family!
I am incredibly excited to be continuing my space journey with Higher Orbits at the upcoming Arizona Space Congress! My time with Higher Orbits began back in the spring of 2023, and it was one of the best opportunities I am proud to have taken advantage of. I have not only been connected to a great space community but also continued my passion for exploring space in ways I never expected. My team and I’s experiment focused on radiotrophic fungi from Chernobyl, and its ability to act as a protective layer for space equipment and satellite components. Through our research, I hadn't realized that a lot of the mechanisms required to make that system ready to board the ISS relied on basic sensor reads, timer loops, fault tolerance, redundancy, and programming without room for error.
I am currently on my way to graduating with a BS in Information Technology, and viewing space as a system has brought many more layers into view. It made me curious about the vast and complex technology that the systems utilize for all of the space industry’s missions. There is also the governance and policy aspect of it all, where I began to question who writes the rules for the systems that are being launched. Having an IT background but also pursuing my interests in space through Higher Orbits brought a moment of clarity, emphasizing that my degree in IT is not so far from space at all; rather, it’s my boarding pass!
After taking the time to look at the missions and vision of Arizona Space Rising, now Arizona Space Congress, I saw principles that felt written for someone who could piece together space with tech and policy. The congress brings together leaders in the industry from companies like Blue Origin and even Arizona State University! Space systems run on the same logical bones as any IT infrastructure, which is exactly why I found attending the Arizona Space Congress to be an incredible learning opportunity I could not pass up. I am not an aerospace
engineer, and I definitely do not build rockets quite yet, but coming from knowing systems that run these marvelous missions and creations, it is easy to say that the space industry strongly supports and relies on the information industry. Every mission depends on data links, security, automation, storage, and networks.
With that in mind, I hope to take away from the conference a clearer picture of where IT fits into the space ecosystem, and I hope to solve beyond just programming challenges. I also hope to understand governance obstacles. Who decides how space infrastructure is secured; who writes the policies for the shared data; who confirms that the data that was collected from the Artemis II mission a couple of weeks ago, for example, is secured and being implemented the way it was intended? I hope to bring light to these questions for myself and those who are unsure about how their career fits into the space industry.
Many of you who may be reading this probably have seen the Artemis II mission, or clips from it, and it reminds us of something beautiful: the dark side of the Moon still catches light. It simply needs the right instruments and brave people who are willing to point them there. I feel this way about walking into the Arizona Space Congress, just a week from now. I am excited to learn from every session and to make the most of every conversation, shining light on ideas I am not aware of yet. I am also super thrilled to meet Alexis and Alice, as well as reunite with Michelle, who will be giving a great talk during her own session at the congress; I can’t wait to hear her words of wisdom! It is always great to meet new Space Family and learn from one another, even for not-space-related things!
I encourage every student and every individual who makes it this far into reading this blog that even if you’re not the one building the rocket, you might be the one who keeps it talking to Earth. I learned very well through Higher Orbits that you won’t know until you try, and there is always a place for you in space.
Stay curious, write soon!
Zahra Ali
Written By Stellar Student Zahra Ali