SPACE EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

The 3 Is of ISU [Interdisciplinary, International, Intercultural] certainly influenced my career, providing me with a foundation of knowledge in the space sector… This was the first time that my education was broadened into disciplines as diverse as space policy and law to space medicine and orbital mechanics, and all from an international perspective… My year in Strasbourg and the opportunities ISU provided to me have definitely helped me get where I am today, allowing my childhood dream to turn into a reality.

ISU has been instrumental in my career change. It allowed me at the age of 40 to enter the space industry and therefore make my childhood dream come true. After thoroughly looking for upskilling options, I decided that the Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program organised by ISU and UNISA was perfect for me. I now work for the Australian Space Park, the first space manufacturing hub in Australia. The SHSSP for sure set me apart.

SSP is a life changing experience with three unique characteristics: interculturality, interdisciplinarity and internationality. In this inspiring context, professors and experts help students discovering the fields of the space sector that can benefit from their background and beyond. This leads, in turn, to an exponential personal growth in terms of skills and network.

We had both heard that ISU will change your life and that was certainly true for us - both personally and professionally. We met at ISU but our SSP08 in Barcelona was also where we truly found our space people and learned to speak the language of space across all disciplines. We use the "3 I's" in our NASA work every day.

What you get from ISU is an intellectually deep and practically-relevant education. This education provided us the tools to approach everyday problems from a space point of view in a quantitative fashion, the flexibility to succeed in a variety of disciplines, and the ability to think creatively. It is highly impressive to witness how most of my classmates succeed in moving to leadership positions in the space sector. I believe our problem-solving capabilities together with the 3I approach played a critical role in our career progress.

My experience at ISU was fantastic. I met men and women involved in national and commercial space programs from around the world. I gained a greater appreciation for and understanding of the diversity of space activity during that summer than I had from my four years at NASA. Shortly after attending ISU I was selected into the Astronaut Office at NASA and was pleased to already know so much about the world's space programs, to know many of the future players in those programs, and to already understand the various ways that the rest of the world views NASA. I feel that my education at ISU has been invaluable to me in my career. (Image courtesy of NASA)

My experience at the Space Studies Program directly benefited my long term career goals. Beyond the stellar lectures and team project work, developing a global network of peers has continued to pay dividends as we’ve grown together in our positions within the space industry.

ISU is a window that opens a new world for me. ISU is a unique platform where you can learn all aspects of space. Here, it is full of challenges and possibilities. As long as you want, you can fully release yourself, show yourself, and discover a brand new yourself

My space flight was the changing point in my whole life. Since my background was mechanical engineering, I did not know much about space, which led me to the International Space University.

I was fascinated by space since I was a kid and I liked building amateur rockets and spacecraft models. Trained as a space engineer, I knew that only ISU would provide me with the interdisciplinary skills and network necessary to become an entrepreneur. I then co-founded SpaceIL, a competitor in the Google Lunar XPRIZE

Coming from a medical background, the ISU Master’s has been for me the gateway into the space world. This shows the value of the programme’s 3-i approach. And much more; my class has been a great company, a melting pot of people and ideas. My ISU internship led me to Antarctica, to MEDES, and ESA.

I got the chance to attend the Executive MBA 2012 (EMBA12) and it was one of the few one-of-opportunities you get in life. Working in the private satcom industry for a few years before it was a great chance to see the big picture of the space industry - from the subsystems to the missions - from the business plan to the geopolitical impact of space. After ISU I started with a partner a company in Switzerland - ThorGroup - working on business intelligence in space and cyber.

Attending ISU has been, for me, the ultimate eye-opening experience. Attending the Master of Space Studies allowed me to pursue my personal interests with a limit determined only by my imagination.