Young (Space) Professionals find each other in the Space Expo

An experience report by Marien Hofstee. 

The Netherlands Space Society (NVR) together with SGAC and SpaceNed organized the Young Professional Event at the Space Expo and on the ESTEC site last Thursday, October 12. Both young professionals from the space industry and other sectors, as well as students came to this event. This event consisted of a tour of the ESTEC site, talks by different professionals, and concluded with a networking drink in the Space Expo. The mixed company allowed everyone to learn something and make new connections.

ESTEC Tour

Early in the afternoon I was ready at the entrance of ESTEC together with an enthusiastic group of young professionals for a professional tour of the site. Due to the bad weather not everyone could make it, but perhaps that just made the tour more fun and personal. After a smooth talk by Young ESA, we viewed the large test halls via an online application. Here spectacular stories were told, for example about a Japanese air conditioning system once tested at ESTEC to see if it could withstand earthquakes of magnitude 10 on the Richter scale. Then we did get to see the laboratory with our own eyes. We were shown an overwhelming amount of equipment, we went from vacuum machines to machines that could rip material apart with gigantic forces. They explained how everything worked and gave us an idea of the testing process.

Presentations by (Space) Professionals

After the tour, we were welcomed into a room at the Space Expo for inspiring presentations by professionals. With talks on space law, public affairs, space missions and artificial intelligence, there was something interesting or new for everyone. For example, I had never considered how big the world of public affairs is in the space world, and was also very impressed with the format of the JUICE mission. Each presentation was followed by a Q&A, which the audience eagerly took advantage of by asking sharp questions. After the presentations, there was a panel discussion where interesting discussions ensued on space-related topics.

Networking Drinks

The day ended with drinks in the Space Expo. This was super well attended and very enjoyable. In the middle of the room was a beautiful stage where professionals and students had the opportunity to pitch. Furthermore, people kept walking by with delicious snacks. At the end, the Space Woman of the Year award was also presented to the woman who has achieved the most in space this year. It was a great place to make new contacts and exchange new ideas after a day full of impressions.

Some photos from the event can be seen below, made by Sara Muirhead.