Artemis II Moon mission lifts children's ambitions As Nasa's Artemis II mission looped the Moon, something important changed back on Earth, says Caitlin Gould.
She is the founder and director of TECgirls, a Cornwall‑based organisation aiming to increase the number of women in technology and engineering.
Gould said children often struggled to believe careers in space genuinely existed for them, but "actually seeing a mission within their lifetime makes them realise this is real".
She said: "Realising that it's a real thing, and with future missions planned, it could be something that they're involved in, that's huge." In pictures: Artemis II crew witness 'Earthset' and a solar eclipseArtemis II: Inside Nasa's mission to take humans back to the MoonHas Artemis II shown we can land on the Moon again? Gould points to teams at Goonhilly Earth Station, the satellite communications centre that supported the Artemis mission, as proof that "space work was not just something that happens in America".
"Although it seems very far away, actually it's been really nice to be able to connect it back to how we are connected to it in Cornwall," she said.
Gould is also keen to break down myths about who works in space: "The people that went up into space, they came from a mixture of backgrounds, pilots, engineers and scientists." For TECgirls showing where those careers begin is key.
Its Reach for the Sky festival, the aviation and aerospace festival for girls, has been held for the last three years at Spaceport Cornwall, the £20m centre for space and aeronautics near Newquay.
Interest in the latest event on 20 and 21 June, had been overwhelming, she said.
"We almost sold out within the first week on our Saturday, so we've had to make it Saturday and Sunday because so many young people and their families are interested in this and want to learn more." The festival brings together universities, employers, colleges and training providers and Gould said there were a range of career paths routes on offer through universities, apprenticeship opportunities and local colleges.
Families play a key role too.
Gould said parents did not always realise these careers were realistic options for their children.
For Gould, missions like Artemis II create a spark, but it is what happens on the ground that is crucial.
The Cornwall Space Cluster, representing Spaceport Cornwall, Goonhilly Earth Station and the National Drone Hub, a drone testing site at Predannack Airfield, is aiming to grow the data, space and aerospace industry in Cornwall.
It said in a 2024 report that since 2022, schools, outreach and public engagement had expanded, but training opportunities had declined, probably reflecting funding pressures.
The number of further education courses in the sector had also fallen, while....
