Meganne Christian (GBR/NZL/AUS/ITA)
Astronaut
Dr Meganne Christian is Reserve Astronaut / Exploration Commercialisation Lead at the UK Space Agency, developing strategy on human and robotic spaceflight in the post-ISS landscape.
In November 2022 she became a member of the European Space Agency astronaut reserve as one of the class of 17 candidates selected from a pool of over 22,500 applicants across Europe. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a PhD in Industrial Chemistry from the University of New South Wales. From 2014 to 2023 she was a materials science researcher at the National Research Council of Italy, and participated in two parabolic flight campaigns to test graphene coatings for thermal management in satellites. She has also undertaken two missions, including a winter-over, to Concordia Station in Antarctica where she was a research scientist in charge of atmospheric physics and meteorology.
From Antarctica to Space
19. 7. 2024 16:45 - 17:30
Meganne Christian will recount the experiences that led her to be selected as a member of the European Space Agency astronaut reserve, from materials science studies in microgravity to a year working at Concordia Station in Antarctica, one of the most remote places on Earth, also known as "White Mars". She will describe her experiences of the tough selection process and her hopes for the future, as well as the work she is doing on future space stations at the UK Space Agency.