Thread by @People_Of_Space

Hi everyone! :) I'm Ute (pronounced like “Oohter” with the emphasis on the first syllable. Equivalents are Audrey in English, Aude/Odette in French), and first of all I would like to thank @Taraustralis for the privilege of letting me host “People of Space” this week!

@Taraustralis Another special thank you goes to my direct predecessors, @marmatheghost and @martinesrymd, for their great contributions! Both have inspired some of the things I intend to talk about over the next 7 days.

@Taraustralis @MarmaTheGhost @martinesrymd Tara created @people_of_space so people from all walks of life could talk about their passion to a larger audience. Her intention will in fact also be this week’s motto: “Space is for Everyone”.
Welcome aboard; enjoy the ride! :)

My own passion for all things space started in the mid 1970s. I was ~ 6 years old when one night my father gave me his old binoculars as a present. It was clear outside, so the first thing I aimed at was the Moon. I was instantly fascinated by all the craters, lines and shadows.

From then on, I regularly rummaged the public library for all its books about space. And I used my Lego to play “Space”, too. (After a few years, I owned almost all space Lego that was on the market back then, even the Moon Base and the big Space Cruiser.)

But… why did my father give me his binoculars in the first place? They were good quality, heavy, and not exactly a thing the average 6-year-old usually owns or plays with. The reason for my father’s gift is simple: He had turned completely blind a few years earlier.

In fact, I grew up with two blind parents. Partially blind at birth, but rapidly deteriorating. The last time my father saw me, he was 25, and I was 3 years old. Nevertheless it was him who first explained to me the foundations of our solar system and astronomy in general.

Hang on! Astronomy and blindness? How does that compute? Does it at all?

It does. In many ways, as I’m about to show you.

We tend to assume that in order to engage in astronomy and aeronautics, you have to be fully capacitated both mentally and physically. Unless you are an actual astronaut, however, at least the latter is quite a misconception. Space can be experienced with all of our senses.

In this particular case, my father showed me maps of the Moon as well as schematics of our solar system and our galaxy in his atlas for the blind.

In more than one respect, this atlas was different from the one sighted people use. It was made of relatively sturdy, monochrome polymer sheets, deformed by means of a deep drawing press to represent land- and moonscapes. It was in fact 3D.

At roughly 80x80 centimeters in size, that atlas was also rather large, and so thick that it came in several volumes. The maps of the Moon were big enough for me to play in the craters with my Matchbox cars.

It had to be so large, because you have to feel all the details instead of seeing them. Here’s a great article on what what characteristics these maps generally have, and why: nationalgeographic.com.au/people/a-tacti… (NG make it sound like a totally new thing in that text, but it really isn't!)

Maybe I should add that my father's maps were different from the example in that text, in so far as they really looked like miniaturized monochrome landscapes, with mountains and everything. But as almost always, there is of course more than one good way to transmit information.

Perhaps this would be a good moment to ask you if you have any questions, before I continue?

Feel free to ask whatever you would like to know in the context of my thread, even if you feel it might be too personal. Most of the time, it really isn't, in my expericence. :)

All this being said, my father was no professional astronomer. He knows a lot about the subject, and even more about meteorology, but had an office job in a steel company.

But there sure are blind astronomers out there! One of them is Wanda Diaz-Merced: iop.org/careers/workin…

Diaz-Merced has even crossed the border into space flight, as she went on to work for NASA’s Goddard Space Center.

According to her, she received a lot of help, but let’s all be honest: None of us would have gotten anywhere without some degree of help at some stage or another.

The actual point is that everybody can contribute if the rest of us open their eyes and try to find a way to remove obstacles.

It makes sense not only from a human, but also from an economic point of view: Society as a whole can’t afford to waste such talents.

Another blind professional astronomer was Edwin Frost in the 1930s, director of the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin and editor of The Astrophysical Journal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Bra…

Now, in the digital age, transmission of information has become even easier, and there are even citizen science projects engaging the visually impaired, like this one from a few years ago (which still contains some valuable links): lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/radio…

Of course there have also already been people with other handicaps, like for instance John Goodricke, hearing impaired, and who was awarded the highly prestigious Copley Medal by the Royal Society of England for his work on variable stars as early as 1783: britannica.com/biography/John…

Again, citizen science helps everyone to engage in space research, each according to their own gusto and their best abilities. In case you’d like to participate as well, here’s a portal with all sorts of projects that might interest you - not just space: zooniverse.org/projects

In the following I will list a few further resources you can check out or bookmark, in case you would like to take a more in-depth look at today's topic:

Resources for the blind and visually impaired in particular: sion.frm.utn.edu.ar/iau-inclusion/…

Resources for people with various special needs: astronomerswithoutborders.org/gam2016-resour…

If you’re running an observatory, or are a member of one, here’s a book I can recommend if you want to make your premises accessible and more interesting for people with special needs: amazon.com/Everyones-Univ…

As a more personal aside, for those of you who understand German, here’s an entry from my blog about Moon Rock 15536 and what it has to do with my and my father’s passion for space: leavingorbit.de/2015/05/22/moo…

The #Moon, by the way, seems to smell like spent gun powder, according to several astronauts: science.nasa.gov/science-news/s… and space.com/26932-moon-sme…

Also, in case you’d like to further explore the olfactory side of space – admit it, you were surprised there is one! :D --, there’s postcards out there that smell like comet #Rosetta: popsci.com/heres-how-you-…

So, who knows? Analysing smells and replicating them may very well also become part of space science in the future. Indirectly it already has, and you certainly don’t need eyes, ears or functioning limbs for that.

The people I have named so far are of course just examples of a far larger group of scientists with special needs. Nevertheless, while conditions and awareness have already improved, we mustn’t forget that they’re still far from ideal.

Too many of us still consider people with special needs incapable of too many things. Let’s change that! Let’s get educated, let’s not jump to premature conclusions due to lack of information.

Have you all heard of Jessica Cox yet, by the way? bbc.com/news/av/magazi…

Also, let’s not forget that some obstacles some people face may not be immediately visible to everyone else.

Here’s one example that doesn’t even fall into the category “special needs”, but we all have to take it just as seriously:

https://twitter.com/_Astro_Nerd_/status/1087032887545860096

(Thread)

Right, that’s more or less it from me for today. We have a total lunar eclipse coming up in the early hours of the morning, so I’ll go and sort out my photo equipment for that event -- hoping that the weather will play along. But I’ll be back tomorrow:

So: Do you know any astronomers or people working in aeronautics with special needs? Are you perhaps one of them? Would you care to tell us more about your biography, experience, resources, and opinion regarding accessibility?

It’s your turn! Tomorrow will be dedicated to your work, your experience, your questions, your wishes regarding special needs and improved accessability. I'm looking forward to your contributions!

Yesterday I talked mainly about people with special needs in astronomy and spaceflight. Today I would like to broaden that spectrum a bit further and discuss equity and inclusivity in general. Be it gender related, special needs, poverty, or the colour of our skins.

For instance, as @weird_worlds points out here (cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/astronom…), "Less than 100 black women have received astronomy related PhDs in the United States. Ever."

Have you been affected by any of this? Are things different in your country? Please share your story!

@weird_worlds Also, do you know or are you perhaps even a member of TaMIA (tamiastronomy.org/our-mission/) or similar initiatives? Please let us know what they do, how they do it! Tell us about the obstacles you met with and the success you have achieved!

@weird_worlds Luckily, awareness has risen regarding the necessity to include more people, including the elderly. If you want to know more, try "Astronomy for Older Eyes: A Guide for Aging Backyard Astronomers"
books.google.de/books?id=SdNcD…

But perhaps you even know some others you can recommend?

Also, what about people from other professions? When #ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli spoke to the Christians' Pope Francis he stated that in future, artists, philosophers etc. should also have access to space and contribute to its discovery:

This seems to be a point of view shared by other scientists as well:

https://twitter.com/drspacejunk/status/1084201192589164544

So what's your profession, and how does (or could) it contribute to astronomy and spaceflight?

.@AnjaBlaj's tweets clearly show that space definitely needs social sciences as well. #FF

The replies to this thread are about as varied as can be. Thank you very much for your contributions! I will close here for today, but tomorrow I intend to talk a bit more in depth about the other side. Namely the value of space exploration for us, in general and in particular.

“Space is for Everyone” – this week’s motto has two different ways: 1) We all should have access to space exploration, and 2) (Almost) All of us benefit from it. The two are interdependent, so having spent two days on the first, let’s now take a look at the second aspect:

Why do we explore space? Why do we send Rovers to Mars and Orbiters to Mercury? Why do we land spacecrafts on asteroids and bring home samples of their rocks? What’s the ISS good for, and of what use are the other satellites up there?

Is it just about TV and letting astronauts chase giant floating drops of orange juice in Zero G? How much are we spending on this, and are these expenses justified? What responsibilities do our activities entail?
Those, and a few more, will be today’s main topics here.

The full scale of space activities becomes obvious when you take a closer look at just how many countries engage in them in the first place.

Unfortunately, many people tend to think that this is still just all about NASA and “The Russians” trying to outdo one another.

In fact, however, almost every major nation (as well as many of those to whom we never pay attention) have their own space agencies by now.
So let’s see, as this is a timeline full of space exploration enthousiasts: What space agencies do you know, other than NASA and Roscosmos?

Thank you, everyone, for your replies! I'm impressed by how many you all named off the top of your heads! :)

For an even more comprehensive list of government space agencies worldwide, have a look at this document here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_g…

Are you surprised?

The list goes to show that there is quite some importance attributed to space activities by all of these countries. Why? Well, even though not all of them actually launch rockets or build spacecrafts, each and every single one of them depends on space stuff in one way or another.

Figuring out what's needed and how to best get it is one purpose of space agencies. As @aedendal has already hinted at, communication satellites are a service even the most remote of countries needs -- and buys from others, if necessary.
What other applications can you think of?

Indeed. GPS, weather forecasts, and disaster management are three important applications for which we need space data. But there's more, and they are countless. Here's one example, and if you want to know more, I suggest you read/follow the whole account:

https://twitter.com/ESAbusinessapps/status/1083270994565971968

So, space data is used for Earth observation, protection of wildlife and the environment, infrastructure, safety and security, communication, entertainment, science and education, tourism, culture, navigation, crop management and much more.

What about the costs?

A recent survey conducted by the European Space Agency #ESA shows that expenditure on space activities is overestimated by a factor of 20! The average European believes that the per capita cost per year amounts to about 245€.
In fact, however, the amount is no higher than 10€!

Here's a brief summary of that survey's results: esa.int/spaceinimages/… #ESA #Expenditure

OK, so now we know that expenditure is overestimated by the population. We also know that we need the data, because not having them would entail even higher costs - and lots of damage and lost lives.
But what about the argument that "all that money" had better be spent on Earth?

That is in fact no valid argument at all, because even the money used for the procduction and launch of satellites etc. _is_ spent on Earth. The space industry generates work and jobs just as well as the energy or automobile sector does. We're not shooting coins at the Moon.

Also, for instance, replacing satellite communication by cable or whatever might(!) lead to a few more jobs in absolute terms. But it would also lead to lower quality standards. It wouldn't be a genuine gain for society in general.

Furthermore, there's a number of invisible benefits generated by space exploration activities. People often aren’t even aware of how they directly benefit from space exploration beside GPS or Satellite TV, right here on Earth.

Not convinced? Take a look: spinoff.nasa.gov

Given that the impact on our daily lives is that much underestimated, it is all the more astounding that the general population so grossly overestimates actual expenditure for space exploration. I'm seriously wondering why that is the case?

Possible reasons might be the sheer scope of the projects. They appear eccentric, they are rare, individuals could never afford them, and many times the general public may not even understand what the missions are all about at first glance. Hence, they "must be really expensive".

Second, astronomy and space flight are rarely dealt with in public education, at least in German schools - the country which was farthest off the mark when extimating the actual costs.

Third, at least in this European survey, space agencies seem to be a somewhat elusive concept. It's a bit "them up there doing weird sciency stuff with rockets". Unreachable, unapproachable, seems to be the general impression.

But does that really do the agencies justice?

Communication of space science and its policies will be tomorrow's subject here, combined with a closer look at the risks and responsibilities that arise from our activities in space.

Read you all tomorrow, hopefully!

Space surrounds us all, no matter where we live on this planet. Space is an international thing. Not only in the sense that it often takes internat. cooperation to explore it, but also because whatever one of us does up there, it could have repercussions on anyone, anywhere.

Be it that you launch a rocket whose upper stage then smashes someone's roof in another country, or be it that a piece of space debris damages a satellite and interrupts communication services in a remote location. Many scenarios are possible here.

Consequently, a lot of politics and diplomacy are involved as well. Did you know that Israel launches their satellites westwards, into a retrograde orbit? For political reasons, and contrary to everyone else? Politics actually even overrides technical best practice in this case.

Costs and their justification, the necessity for international cooperation, politics, and potentially far-reaching consequences of any malfunction - these are but a few reason why space exploration requires good communication and good communicators.

Again it becomes obvious that not only is space for everyone, but space also _needs_ everyone and their talents, if we are to explore it safely and efficiently.

Assembling all of these people under one roof, and getting them to communicate with one another and with the general public, is another purpose of national space agencies.

In the following, using the European Space Agency #ESA as an example, I'd like to show you some of the things they do to keep us all informed about their missions and intentions. Furthermore, I'll introduce you to some of their comms staff behind the scenes.

Here, for example, is an excellent #ESA website about past and future exploration of the Moon. Who, when, why, how? This site has the answers, and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand them: lunarexploration.esa.int/#/library

Much of #ESA is about crewed space flight. (@esaspaceflight) Take a look at the European Astronaut Centre #EAC online esa.int/About_Us/EAC / @ESA_EAC
Behind the scenes: @marco_t

Europe has its own rockets, too. See #ESA Space Transportation for more Info: esa.int/Our_Activities… / @esa_sts
Behind the scenes: @aprea

#ESA's European Space Operations Centre #ESOC: esa.int/About_Us/ESOC/…
Behind the scenes: @Bernhard_Weyhe

Plus, #ESA itself. It surprises me that so many people know so little about it while the info is all out there. So far, I'd given you but a small glimpse of how comprehensive their web presence really is: esa.int/About_Us/Welco… / @esa
Behind the scenes: @Grandsire_Jules

To do justice to #ESA's outreach efforts alone I would have had to dedicate my full 7 days on @people_of_space to their activities.

Since this is day 4 already, I suggest you take a look at the following social media resources:
1. #ESA's twitter lists: twitter.com/esa/lists

#ESA's blogs: blogs.esa.int

#ESA on #Flickr:
flickr.com/photos/europea…

#ESA on Instagram:
instagram.com/europeanspacea…

#ESA on Facebook
facebook.com/EuropeanSpaceA…

Other agencies like NASA or JAXA have similar accounts by the way. While some are indeed a bit more reticent than others, all of them have by now at least grasped & embraced the general idea that space exploration has no future if you can't explain and justify it to the public.

As far as the European Space Agency #ESA is concerned, I recommend that you also follow their press releases to find out about their ad hoc activities like open days, launch and social media events, conferences and the like: esa.int/For_Media/Pres… I assure you they are numerous.

Also, there are 2 tweeps who aren't strictly speaking ESA comms but who work for the agency and who contribute a lot in their spare time: @go_for_launch, @RainerKresken. Their talks and presentations on all things space are always worth attending. Some of them are out there on YT

Speaking of which: How could I forget #ESA's Youtube channel?! Here it is: youtube.com/user/ESA

Melissa's mention here is a splendid transition to my next question: Do you know any good space ambassadors you'd like to recommend? Any topic regarding space, any language whatsoever - let us all know about them!

https://twitter.com/MelissaMolseed/status/1088028292987277312

One more time for the late shift:

https://twitter.com/People_Of_Space/status/1088039175310458882

Right, that's it from me for today. I'll be back tomorrow for day 5/7, and that day will be dedicated to space debris, space law and agreements, and more. Stay tuned! :)

Space is for everyone, or at least it should be. Its exploration needs people with all sorts of talents, and the corresponding scientific achievements benefit (almost...) all of us as well. Apart from that, it also greatly fuels human imagination.

Last week, @martinesrymd talked about Star Trek and its influence on society:

https://twitter.com/People_Of_Space/status/1085120710954106880

The week before, @marmatheghost challenged you and promised to name and summarize one space related computer game for each like his tweet would receive.

https://twitter.com/People_Of_Space/status/1083475920198029318

Frankly, when I saw the number of likes rise further and further, I wondered whether he’d really manage to come up with enough games.

He did, and by now I’m sure he could have continued for days without repeating himself once. I was overwhelmed not only by the sheer number of space-related games, but also by the range of aspects they covered.

You want to simulate engineering or astrophysics, role-play colonizing a planet, wage war against aliens? @MarmaTheGhost knows a game that coveres that. Which goes to show how big a role space plays in people’s lives, and how much they would like to be part of its exploration.

(That challenge is long over of course. This account has since been hosted by two other people.)

That week, we also got a glimpse of other forms of art relating to space:

https://twitter.com/People_Of_Space/status/1083750362954297345

Space has obviously penetrated just about every aspect of our lives, from navigation to entertainment, from engineering to the social sciences.

Space inspires us, and space empowers us. But space exploration also comes with responsibility attached to it. As I had already hinted at, our activities in space are interdependent, and so are the risks they entail:

https://twitter.com/People_Of_Space/status/1087982357133623296

The stuff we send into space invariably turns into debris sooner or later.

Some of it leaves its orbit and either gets burned up in our atmosphere or crashes into the ground.

Other parts stay up there, uncontrollable and often for decades, and pose a risk to everything else.

The former can pose a threat to the environment as well as our cities or ourselves.

The latter pose a threat to the services that rely on space data, as well as to the space crafts that provide them.

Also, the latter tends to accumulate, bump into another and thereby create even more pieces of debris. This phenomenon is called the "Kessler syndrome": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_s…

Just in order to give you an idea of
- how much is up there,
- how far out some of it is orbiting this planet,
- and where it stems from, let me recommend this website: "Stuff In Space" stuffin.space

Choose an object, move your mouse over it, click for more info.

The data you get to see there is not some vague visualisation or a rough estimate. It's about as accurate as it'll get. See their "About" section for more info on the data sources.

Clearly, if we are to continue exploring and using space to our advantage, we need to reduce our footprint up there to a minimum. But what is that minimum? Who gets to decide, and who gets to enforce whatever agreement we might reach? How do we even reach one internationally?

This is where another group of people joins the space game: Lawyers and of course politicians. Who in turn need advice from those who actually practice space flight, i.e. the national agencies.

#SpaceLaw is indeed a real thing. Click on the hashtag to find out more about that. Or follow @AnjaBlaj for instance.

The European Space Agency #ESA has a whole center dedicated to space law, namely the ECSL: esa.int/About_Us/ECSL_…
Take a look at their long list of activities!

@AnjaBlaj A lot of space policies have already been drafted and implemented. Some of them decades ago.

For a rather comprehensive list, see @UNOOSA's National Space Law Collection: unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwor…

@AnjaBlaj @UNOOSA Of course space law is not just about debris damage and indemnifications. Space law is also needed to clarify who gets to own what in space. May you just claim an asteroid and mine it? Can you own or sell property on the Moon? Issues like these need to be negotiated as well.

@AnjaBlaj @UNOOSA Generally speaking, the farther and the longer we can reach into space and make use of its resources, the more complex and detailed our treaties will have to become. Lawyers may not know how a rocket works, but we sure need them all the same.

Considering the fact that space plays an ever more important role in our daily lives and our cultures, it is indispensable to familiarize ourselves with the basic principles at an early age. Or, in other words: Space is for children, too.

Luckily, a great many children show an almost natural fascination with all things space anyway. Day 6/7 of my week on this account will therefore be dedicated to how we can educate them about it in a way that makes their passion last.

See you all back here tomorrow, I hope! :)

Educating children is a task many people are involved in: Parents, family, friends, media, schools, and the children themselves. It is therefore essential that all of these groups have have easy access to correct information which is also presented in an adequate manner.

The actual information is made accessible by scientists and their institutions. Processing it, and turning it into information even a layman or a child can easily understand, however, is a case for journalists, communication scientists and the like.

But how does their information reach us? This is where media, bookstores, libraries etc. enter the game. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of designers in this context. The importance of structure, illustration/visualization and presentation can hardly be overestimated.

Finally, chosing the pieces of information you want to present to a child at any given point in time is a task for teachers and family, and also the children themselves.

So all of these people, and more, are needed to provide the next generation with the knowledge about space that is needed to not only keep up what we’re doing right now, but also to build on that and advance even further.

(By the way, had I mentioned this week's motto here already? "Space is for Everyone" ^^)

So let’s next take a look at the sources of information out there for children and those directly involved in their education. I’ll list a selection of the best resources I’ve found so far, but I also invite you all to chime in & complete that list with your own links and advice!

I’ll start with what various space agencies have to offer. On the European Space Agency #ESA’s site for kids you will find facts on ESA’s missions, space weather, space art & science contests, experiments, explanations of space phenomena, and much more: esa.int/kids/en/home

The corresponding Twitter handle is @Paxi_ESAKids .

The US space ageny #NASA actually diffentiates a lot according to topic and age. Take a look at

nasa.gov/kidsclub/index…

spaceplace.nasa.gov

nasa.gov/audience/forst…

solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/more-kids…

#NASA, too, has a corresponding Twitter handle: @NASAspaceplace

Japan's space agency, @JAXA_en, has a kids' site at iss.jaxa.jp/kids/en/. The English version is not quite as comprehensive as its Japanese counterpart, but it's still very much worth exploring.

Whether or not they also have a special twitter account is not known to me.

Roscosmos doesn't seem to have a site for kids, at least not in English, but ... rbth.com/science-and-te…

This is another important part of education: Direct access, being able to ask experts without a detour via some journal. Something the internet and e-mail greatly facilitate.

Many observatories and other private or government institutions also have webpages for kids. One noteworthy example is "Kids' Astronomy" kidsastronomy.com

Another one is "Ducksters": ducksters.com/science/astron…

"Science Kids" -- a children's science site from New Zealand with a good section about astronomy: sciencekids.co.nz/astronomy.html

The German Aerospace Center (@DLR_de and @DLR_next ) has even established a whole network of school labs in Germany: dlr.de/schoollab/en/d… - which is taking sci-comm between experts and children to the next level.

With respect to children's books about astronomy and space flight, I recommend first of all following @elakdawalla who regularly reviews quite a few of them, and who always has the most recent recommendations.

Personally, I have quite enjoyed "Uma la chiocciola in orbita" ("Uma, the Snail in Orbit") whch was written for children of about 5 - 7 years of age, with #ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's support: carthusiaedizioni.it/libri/40/uma-l…

Otherwise, I haven't really read all that many space books for children yet. That's why I'd like to once more enlist your help: What good children's books about space travel and astronomy can you recommend, and why?

Websites, books etc. aren't the only source of information on space for the general public. Also, education is a life-long thing. So on my last day on this account tomorrow, I will talk about events we all can attend in order to learn more about what's going in space. Stay tuned!

Did you know that many space agencies regularly invite the public to special events like satellite launches, landings, and open days?

Did you know, for instance, that there's a Twitter account called @social4space with announcements for European events? And that there's an event coming in March?

I have already attended many of their events over the past decade or so, and I can assure you that all of them were meticulously well-prepared, informative, and fun.

ESA's "Social Space" also has a NASA counterpart, by the way: @NASASocial. I have not yet attended any of their events, but I heard from others that they had an absolutely wonderful time and learned a great deal.

@NASASocial For France, check out @TheLastJeudi (they have several accounts, depending on the city you live in) @SpaceUp_FR, and their calendar of events: spaceup.fr/eventfrance/

@TheLastJeudi @SpaceUp_FR Another noteworthy account in that category: @SpaceRendezVous.

While #TheLastJeudi is limited to France, its spin-off is currently creating a network of private event organizers all over Europe. One event will be a visit to ESA's training facilities in Germany in Summer, btw.

@TheLastJeudi @SpaceUp_FR @SpaceRendezVous Oh, and would you perhaps like to attend one of the European Space Agency's rocket launches in Kourou, right where the action is? No problem: esa.int/Our_Activities…

@TheLastJeudi @SpaceUp_FR @SpaceRendezVous As it happens, I was there exactly 1 year ago as a member of a small group of bloggers and journalists. We visited many of that space port's facilities and we even had the opportunity to interview experts and astronauts alike. Thank you again, @esa! It was an unforgettable trip!

That #TripToKourou taught me a lot about rockets & space travel, but it also did something else: It inspired me to brush up my French again and to follow more French accounts on Twitter.

I would never have dreamed of the wonderful friendships that have since resulted from this!

In fact, I have found that even on an international level, space geeks are a great bunch of people, united by their passion and always ready to welcome new members to their circle.

So not only is space for everyone, it also unites people and inspires worldwide cooperation.

So, if you have clubs or other associations related to space and astronomy near you, do check them out for meetings and events. It will almost certainly be worth your while! :)

Right, this is slowly taking me toward the end of my week on "People of Space".

I'd like to use the remaining 7 hours to collect and answer your questions, RT your recommendations, etc.
Please keep them coming! :)

Of course I'm aware of the fact that my tweets didn't provide an in-depth analysis of every space-related social aspect. But I'm hoping that they can at least be used as a stepping stone for your own further research.

There don't seem to be too many open questions left, so let me start wrapping this up.

First of all, a big thank you goes out to everyone who helped to make this week and my tweets a success. You know who you are. :)

Above all, however, thank you very much again, @Taraustralis, for lending me this account and letting me use it for a week! What a privilege! <3

@Taraustralis If you'd like to also follow me at my personal & own account, it's @Leaving_Orbit.

@Taraustralis @Leaving_Orbit This week's tweets can be easily found

a) in a Twitter Moment I have created for that purpose: twitter.com/i/moments/1088…

b) in this document created by @threadreaderapp: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1086942…

Thank you very much to all of you who were my audience this week. I hope I've been able to provide you with some valuable insights & information, and I'm looking forward to the next host's tweets!

That's it from me. Dear @taraustralis, the captain's chair is all yours again! :)