The Andy Thomas Space Foundation (ATSF), is Australia’s national space charity, dedicated to supporting the education and outreach goals of the Australian Space Agency. Named in honour of Australian born and educated NASA astronaut, Dr Andrew Thomas, we aim to design and implement practical programs to enhance space industry awareness among the Australian community and drive national progress in education, research and innovation. Our aim is to make space truly accessible for all.
Since the Foundation’s commencement in July 2020, the ATSF has been focused on facilitating and increasing access to the space sector for students of all academic levels across Australia, ranging from primary school children to post-graduate and early career researchers.
Our mission is driven by the economic and social importance of contributing to and supporting the Australian Space Agency’s strategy of tripling the space sector’s contribution to GDP and creating an additional 20,000 direct jobs in Australia by 2030. Underlying this growth strategy is an awareness that an increasing number of skilled graduates and technicians will be the key to our future success. According to the Foundation’s chairperson, Michael Davis AO, “the Foundation believes that inspiring and encouraging students from the start of their schooling will ignite a passion for space science and technologies and will drive an ambition among the next generation of Australians to become deeply involved in our space future, both nationally and internationally.”
Great attention has been focused on increasing awareness of cross and multidisciplinary involvement within the industry, utilisation of unique and emerging technologies for improved education strategies as well as the importance of engaging and inspiring students, teachers and their parents, early in the academic cycle.
After an incredibly successful inaugural Education Fund program in 2021, in which we offered seven programs to a value of $230,000, our program this year will see an increase and expansion of the academic offerings available.
With over $300,000 worth of scholarships, prizes and awards in 2022 across nine programs, the Foundation will, over two years, have provided more than half a million dollars’ worth of funding for educational outreach and opportunities in Australia, enabling study and research in universities, schools and private organisations across the nation.
The ATSF Education Fund programs are dedicated to supporting students at all levels of education, as well as helping to promote advanced space-related research. One of our programs is designed to advance the skills of primary school teachers in STEM learning and design thinking. Another supports space-related science research projects at secondary school level. Other programs include providing internship opportunities for tertiary students, with some of Australia’s leading space technology companies and giving financial awards to some of Australia’s leading PhD researchers for their work in advanced space science topics. In this framework the following programs are being implemented in 2022:
- Mercury Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation’s 3D Innovation Challenge
- Mars Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation School Challenge
- Venus Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation and Playford Trust Undergraduate Scholarships
- Earth Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation and Playford Trust Undergraduate Internship Prizes
- Neptune Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Scholarship
- Uranus Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation and Australian Space Agency Graduate Scholarships in Space
- Saturn Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation SmartSat CRC and DEWC PhD Scholarship
- Jupiter Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation EOS Space Systems Research Awards
- Pluto Program: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation and cosine Remote Sensing Project
The Foundation is proud to have announced this list of dynamic and diverse programs, including our first internationally co-funded scholarship with the Netherlands satellite instrument manufacturer, cosine. This program will support a doctoral candidate or early career researcher to engage in research relating to hyperspectral observations and algorithms and will include a short-term trip to Europe to further develop their knowledge.
The Andy Thomas Space Foundation 3D Innovation Challenge will again involve nine primary schools, and the Andy Thomas Space Foundation Schools Challenge will involve nine high schools. The primary school innovation challenge is a multi-term education program in which students and teachers will utilise 3D design and print technology to create an imaginative solution to a global space challenge. The secondary schools challenge will include a deep dive into the Buzz Aldrin Foundation’s Giant Mars Maps and the Hamilton Secondary College space resources to educate students on the various challenges involved in both travel to and habitation on Mars. Both school programs will culminate in a student showcase at the Australian Space Discovery Centre at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide on the final day of the inaugural Andy Thomas Space Foundation week in October 2022.
For the first time in the Education Fund’s history, the ATSF in collaboration with SmartSat CRC and DEWC will be offering a full PhD scholarship to support an Australian student to complete their thesis on a novel and innovative space-related topic. Similarly, we will see the return of the cofunded EOS space research program and a new and expanded version of a co-funded internship program with the Playford Trust, which includes eight scholarships, each valued at $2,500, for undergraduate students.
The Andy Thomas Space Foundation’s Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program scholarship will again see senior undergraduate or graduate students fully supported to participate in the five week International Space University/ University of South Australia Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program in early 2023. Additionally, the expanded Graduate scholarships in space program, cofunded by the Australian Space Agency, will this year offer twice the number of students an opportunity to commence their space discipline honours or masters’ studies.
The ATSF and Playford Trust Undergraduate Scholarships program is an incredibly important initiative to bridge the gap between high school and university focused on enabling Year 12 students to commence space-related undergraduate degrees.
The Andy Thomas Space Foundation’s CEO, Nicola Sasanelli AM said that his hope ‘‘is for the education programs to make tangible impacts on students and young researchers, encouraging longterm engagement with and passion for the growing industry.’ The Education Fund has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Foundation’s sponsors and the funds generated through the bi-annual Andy Thomas Space Foundation’s Australian Space Forum.
The last three Forums saw more than 2,000 industry experts in attendance and over 200 exhibitors. The Foundation recently released further information on the next Forum to be held on Tuesday 25 October 2022 at the Adelaide Convention Centre. The forum topics will include:
- Earth Observation – The National Space Mission for Earth Observation – a major investment that will expand Australia’s capability in designing and manufacturing and operating space and ground-based systems to enable it.
- Optical Communications – A quantum leap in Australia’s secure and high bandwidth communications to connect the world and beyond.
- Foundation Services Rover – Exploring remote operations and autonomous systems building on Australian expertise in the resources and mining sectors for the collection of lunar soil (regolith).
For more information about the 14th Australian Space Forum, please visit: https://forum.andythomas.foundation/14th-australian-space-forum/
Because we are a not-for-profit organisation, all surpluses generated from the Forums are direct contributions to the ATSF’s Education Fund.
2022 will also see the Andy Thomas Space Foundation increasing not only its space and education industry engagement but also supporting national education initiatives aimed at engaging students and increasing public access to space sector education.
The space sector in Australia is growing across all facets and interest groups. We have already been engaging with local, national, and international space sector individuals, communities and organisations to better connect with and promote the growth of space education and accessibility within the Australian community.
The Foundation has established itself as a crucial component of the space ecosystem in Australia, as a charity organisation supporting and promoting STEM studies for young students as well as technological pathways for graduates and young researchers, driven by the need for skilled future operators in the space industry. In parallel with our education programs, we support innovation and competitiveness amongst the Australian industry and research organisations through conducting collective and niche networking events, bringing best practice and strategies from all over the world, and generating constructive discussion.
