ASU Space Student Ambassadors Gain Industry Insight at Space Futures Convening

Earlier this spring, undergraduate students in Arizona State University’s Space Student Ambassador program took part in the Space Futures Convening, an annual event hosted by the ASU Interplanetary Initiative. The event brings together experts from across the space industry, including scientists, engineers, astronauts, designers, and policymakers, to discuss emerging challenges and opportunities in space exploration.

As part of the event, students participated in a roundtable-style “ask-me-anything” session where they had the chance to speak directly with professionals and ask questions about careers, ethics, innovation, sustainability, and the future of space. The conversations offered students a chance to learn from experienced leaders while contributing their own ideas and perspectives.

The ASU Space Student Ambassadors program is a yearlong leadership and professional development experience open to ASU undergraduate students from any major. In addition to attending exclusive events like the Space Futures Convening, ambassadors take part in networking opportunities, outreach projects, and community-building activities throughout the year. The program is designed to support students as they explore future careers in the space sector, both in Arizona and beyond.

Below, several student ambassadors reflect on their experience at the event and share the questions and insights that stuck with them most.

Junior majoring in Architectural Studies, with a minor in Spanish

What question did you pose to the experts at the Space Futures Convening?

My question for them was: “Space exploration has traditionally been driven by scientific and engineering goals. What would space missions look like if artists, designers, and humanists led the vision from the start?”

What motivated you to ask your question and how does it reflect your interests, concerns, or aspirations for the future of space?

As a designer, I was most curious about the perception of artistry and design in the space sector and figuring out where I could potentially fit in the future coming from such a unique path.

What’s one idea or insight from the Convening that has stuck with you? How has it challenged or expanded your thinking about the future of space?

"The answer is not a solution, the answer is evolution" was said by an expert in attendance, and it really stuck with me because it perfectly encapsulates the idea that our goal as the new generation of space professionals is not to just live up to and continue the efforts of the current generation, but to expand upon them with a new vision for humanity that is more so collectivistic than individualistic.

Senior majoring in Human Systems Engineering, with a minor in Design Studies

What question did you pose to the experts at the Space Futures Convening?

My question was: “If you were to design a brand new undergraduate degree program to train the next generation of an interdisciplinary space workforce, what topics and skills would you critically incorporate into this program?”

What motivated you to ask your question and how does it reflect your interests, concerns, or aspirations for the future of space?

Part of my interest in asking this question relates to my coursework in human systems engineering (also known as human factors and ergonomics) which I think could provide a helpful curriculum foundation. The future of space will be dependent on how engineers, designers and scientists integrate complex systems and optimize human-machine interfaces and interactions.

What’s one idea or insight from the Convening that has stuck with you? How has it challenged or expanded your thinking about the future of space?

One of the biggest insights was about considering establishing ecosystems in space that are not just human-centered, but life-centered. In this sense, sustainability is a non-negotiable design requirement for long duration space missions.

Senior majoring in Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics)

What question did you pose to the experts at the Space Futures Convening?

The question I asked was: “How can international collaboration adapt to ensure space exploration remains accessible and peaceful?”

What motivated you to ask your question and how does it reflect your interests, concerns, or aspirations for the future of space?

As an international student from India, I’ve always been inspired by how countries like mine have achieved remarkable feats in space exploration with limited resources, with missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan proving that ingenuity can overcome financial constraints. But despite these successes, there are still gaps in funding, technology access, and collaborative opportunities compared to more established space agencies. My question comes from a desire to see a future where space exploration isn’t just dominated by a few powerful nations but is a shared pursuit where countries like mine can contribute equally. I want to see how international collaboration can evolve to bridge these gaps, making space exploration a truly global effort where knowledge and opportunities are accessible to everyone.

What’s one idea or insight from the Convening that has stuck with you? How has it challenged or expanded your thinking about the future of space?

I used to see space exploration as a purely technical endeavor, focused only on building rockets and developing new technologies. Listening to the leaders discuss what a new undergraduate degree for space should include made me realize how interdisciplinary the field truly is. They mentioned incorporating economics, policy, technological leadership, biology, and psychology, showing that space exploration goes far beyond building machinery. It opened my eyes to the idea that being an aerospace engineer also involves understanding how humanity actually fits into the universe. As someone passionate about making space accessible to everyone, especially countries like mine that are still finding their place in the space sector, this perspective makes me excited to expand my aspirations beyond just technical work and explore how I can contribute to this larger, interconnected vision.

Senior majoring in Aerospace Engineering, with a minor in Mathematics

What question did you pose to the experts at the Space Futures Convening?

My question was: “What outdated assumptions or practices within the space industry need to be challenged to accelerate progress? Who should be leading that change, and why isn’t it happening yet?”

What motivated you to ask your question and how does it reflect your interests, concerns, or aspirations for the future of space?

I think the space industry is entering a new time with new people in charge and different ideas than the past, and with change comes hard truths about what we did wrong in the past.

What’s one idea or insight from the Space Futures Forward Convening that has stuck with you? How has it challenged or expanded your thinking about the future of space?

We think of going to space as just us humans, and when we think of life in space it is very human-centric, when actually we are part of a much larger ecosystem. We need to be able to make space for those forms of life as well—we need animals and plants, and we need to start looking at space exploration from a wider scope than just us humans.

Junior double majoring in Biological Sciences and Earth and Space Exploration (Exploration Systems Design)

What question did you pose to the experts at the Space Futures Convening?

My question was: “How can ethical considerations be integrated into engineering and mission planning from the very start rather than as an afterthought?”

What motivated you to ask your question and how does it reflect your interests, concerns, or aspirations for the future of space?

I was motivated to ask my question as a result of my interdisciplinary majors. I have had the unique opportunity to take courses across several disciplines, including courses that have focused on spaceflight engineering design and courses that have focused on ethics. Because of this, I have become concerned about how we can apply ethical considerations to spaceflight. As an aspiring scientist and engineer, I am particularly concerned about mission planning, and was curious to gain the insight of space professionals in regards to this question.

What do you hope the space sector leaders took away from their conversations with students at the event?

I hope that the space sector leaders gained renewed enthusiasm for the next generation of spaceflight professionals. I hope that they saw that students are truly passionate about space and that we want to take an active role in shaping the future of the space sector. Hopefully, they appreciate that we care about being informed on how the space sector can improve, so that we can work to implement these changes to create a better future.

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