When astronaut and Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg talks about space, you can't avoid being carried aloft in the slipstream of her lifelong passion.
Her enthusiasm is infectious, inspiring and perfectly suited to her earthly mission - spreading the word among Australia's young people not just about the value of careers in our space industry and of studying science, technology, engineering and maths, or STEM, but also of finding a dream and pursuing it.
"When I was a kid I used to love lying on the grass in my backyard looking up at the stars," she says.
"I remember when my mum said to me that some of those stars aren't stars but planets, other worlds no one's ever seen up close with their own eyes. I thought that sounded like the greatest adventure of all.
"I remember in Year 8, we were asked to write down three things that we wanted to be when we left school. I just wrote 'astronaut', full stop. I was interested right from the beginning."
Before she had even learned to drive, Katherine had taken to the skies as a student aerobatic pilot through a program at Bankstown airport in Sydney.
"My dad asked me if I'd be interested one day after basketball practice. I was thrilled. I almost leapt out of the car with excitement. I was really fortunate to grow up in an environment conducive to aspiration."
Years later, with not only a stellar career in space engineering but the remarkable achievement of being Australia's first female astronaut and the first to qualify under the Australian flag, she's igniting aspiration in the younger generations.
When we talk, she's about to embark on a tour of Western Australia to spread the word about STEM and space. Her term as Australian of the Year and job as Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency will see her visit every state and territory to do the same, with a focus on remote communities where much of our space infrastructure - and opportunities it brings - is located.
To be match-fit for the space boom and reap the benefits it brings, Katherine says Australia needs to address its STEM crisis.
"We've got the lowest ever on record in year 12 physics and in intermediate and higher maths. For every two boys enrolling in high maths there's only one girl. So the gender gaps open early all the way at primary school and then persist. If you just look at one technical field, engineering, less than 4 per cent of engineers in Australia are Australian-born women."
Overcoming self-doubt is part of that challenge.
"I think a wonderful part of our culture is how we give it a go in sports, even if we're the weakest on the field," Katherine says.
"But when it comes to maths and science, if you're not top of the class or don't fit the stereotype, we shy away or are even encouraged away. We're all capable far more than we imagine ourselves to be. When we're young we can shape ourselves to become what we want and be able to contribute more than we know."
As she's travelled around the country, Katherine has been struck by the enthusiasm for space - and also the misconceptions about it.
"People don't know how capable Australia is in space and how important it is to our daily lives. Space has become like an invisible utility we rely on every day and exploration hasn't been as forefront in our minds. We've forgotten a little bit about that cutting-edge exploration."
Katherine thinks Artemis 2 is ushering in a new interest, pointing out that 54 per cent of Australians watched the mission compared with 22 per cent who turned into the AFL grand final. Naturally, she was glued to the mission. She and her space engineer husband Campbell Pegg had worked on the mission and she had met the astronauts who made the trip around the moon.
"I think Artemis 2 reminded us to look up and out at a time when we have every excuse to look down and in and reminded us of the importance of preparing for the future in parallel with dealing with the problems of the present.
"It's really just the beginning. Artemis is the new Apollo and like Apollo it will be the engine room for innovation to provide those services space provides us with. Future missions will have people on the surface and in perpetuity so we can look up at the moon in the future knowing that there's people on there, doing science you can't do on earth. Also knowing that Australia is a critical part of it."
Australia will be sending hardware to the moon, including a lunar rover called Roo-ver in 2030, as well as conducting experiments that will help our agricultural and mineral exploration industries. Will the cost be worth it? There's no doubt in Katherine's mind.
"The Australian Space Agency's exploration program, which is part of Artemis, is seeing a return of $7 for every $1 invested, which is not something people expect."
Katherine's achievements caught the eye of another mother at her children's school, who nominated her.
"I was really humbled that she went to the effort to do that and thought that I was worthy of being considered. And from that one nomination a whole new future opened up for me and hopefully for others that I can help unlock opportunities for."
Nominations for 2027 Australian of the Year have opened and will close on July 31.
Katherine's message about who should be considered is simple.
"You should nominate anybody who inspires you because if they can inspire you they can inspire others. It is an award but it also elevates everything that someone's trying to achieve in their work and helps them to be even more impactful with what they're doing."
To nominate someone visit australianoftheyear.org.au
