Lauren Springer for Mission: SPACE

The area betwixt 160km and 1000km from nan Earth’s aboveground is known arsenic debased Earth orbit (LEO). And it’s afloat of junk.  

According to NASA, LEO is considered to beryllium nan world’s largest postulation of abstraction garbage – pinch nary requirements to cleanable it up. It’s afloat of aged surgery satellites and beingness remnants of abstraction missions gone awry.  

“More countries and companies person entree to abstraction and nan regularisation is not rather location yet, truthful it tin beryllium difficult to fig retired who has work for different things,” says Lauren Springer, Space Science and Sustainability Officer astatine nan Australian Space Agency.  

But beingness junk isn’t nan only rumor that needs to beryllium tackled erstwhile it comes to abstraction sciences. 

Lauren is moving to guarantee areas of nan entity are free of ray contamination and outer power waves that whitethorn interfere pinch nan discovery of faint signals from outer space.  

“It’s astir making judge that some researchers and amateur astronomers person nan opportunity to person equitable entree to acheronian and quiet skies for science,” says Lauren. 

Poetry successful procrastination   

Considering nan attraction of her existent job, 1 would beryllium forgiven for reasoning Lauren was willing successful abstraction from a young property – an presumption that is acold from nan truth.  

“I was not people talented astatine maths aliases physics,” says Lauren.  

“I consistently struggled pinch my Year 11 maths classes.” 

Caption: Lauren astatine nan International Space University.
Credit: International Space University

In fact, erstwhile Lauren passed 1 of her maths exams, it was a awesome celebration. 

“I sewage location and my coach had called my parents, and they bought maine a barroom pinch nan candles ‘50%’ connected them,” laughs Lauren.  

“Up until astir Year 10 aliases 11, I really wanted to beryllium a writer,” she says. 

However, 1 nighttime of procrastination wholly changed her ambitions. 

“I was watching YouTube and this video conscionable randomly popped up and [it] was talking astir really stars and galaxies are formed successful nan universe. 

“And location was a quote successful that video that ‘we are each formed retired of nan bosom of a dying star’ … As a lit student, I thought that was 1 of nan astir poetic things I’ve ever heard,” says Lauren.  

As nan saying goes, nan remainder is history. 

This 1 quote inspired Lauren to inquire much questions astir nan universe, which yet led her to wherever she is coming – the Australian Space Agency.  

Lauren’s emotion of penning has been a important portion of her STEM journey. Her expertise to summarise analyzable astronomy, utilizing plain English, has been important successful securing nan costs needed for early research. 

“You tin person each nan expertise … but if you can’t pass them, past you’re not gonna get very far. Especially erstwhile communicating to Ministers – they whitethorn not person nan method inheritance that you do,” says Lauren.  

From committee rooms to investigation labs 

No 1 time is nan aforesaid successful Lauren’s occupation arsenic Space Science and Sustainability Officer. 

Sometimes she’s retired visiting different labs for illustration nan Plants for Space ARC Centre for Excellence to study astir nan latest developments successful abstraction research.  

“We purpose to support making judge that, from an agency standpoint, we’re facilitating [their research] arsenic champion arsenic we can,” she says.  

Sometimes Lauren is focused connected building and maintaining relationships pinch section and world experts.  

Caption: Lauren graduating from nan International Space University confederate hemisphere program.
Credit: International Space University

“I beryllium connected what’s called nan international subject moving group, which is unfastened to abstraction agencies crossed nan world, and we update each different connected nan investigation ecosystem and what’s happening successful our communities,” says Lauren.  

Closer to home, Lauren often briefs authorities officials astir nan latest investigation findings truthful they tin proceed to support nan industry.

“They mightiness scope retired to america and inquire for our expertise successful a peculiar area while processing a argumentation document, truthful we will support them pinch that,” she says. 

Overcoming imposter syndrome 

Despite loving her job, Lauren acknowledges abstraction sciences is simply a challenging section of work. 

Throughout schoolhouse and university, Lauren doubted herself and thought astir giving up, but she persevered. 

“I was really fortunate to person a bully support web astir me,” she says. 

“It is easy to beryllium intimidated, but a batch of it is really conscionable difficult work. If you’re consenting to put nan activity in, moreover if you’re not arsenic talented arsenic personification else, you tin guarantee that you will yet travel retired connected apical because it’s that activity ethic that really drives success,” says Lauren.

Lauren is progressive successful nan Mission: SPACE programme delivered by Scitech and powered by nan Australian Space Agency. You tin registry for this nationwide virtual excursion here.