Category Archives: News Articles

Lucas Bethencourt takes aim at space camp dream

Lucas Bethencourt’s ambitions are beyond sky-high – they’re intergalactic.

The 14-year-old from St Georges Basin hopes to one day become an astronaut and pilot, to be “part of the evolution of space travel”.

Lucas is articulate and softly spoken, but his face lights up when he talks about the stars.

“To discover new things, all the wonders of the universe, is fascinating to me,” he said.

“And the technological advances we’ve made since the 60s – recently we’ve gone from having to throw rockets away to being able to land them vertically, which is really cool.”

Navy engineer sets her trajectory for space

A Navy Aviation Engineer has taken one small step towards a truly stellar ambition after attending Space Camp 2019.

Lieutenant Kate Cox, a Certification Engineer at the Capability and Sustainment Group’s Navy Army Aviation Acquisition Project Office, spent 10 days travelling across the United States, visiting The Spaceship Company (founded by Virgin Galactic’s Sir Richard Branson), the Northrup Grumman Headquarters and the US Space and Rocket Centre.

Facilitated by One Giant Leap Australia (OGL), the program fosters an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), as both a study option and as a career.

“I absolutely loved my time at Space Camp and would thoroughly recommend it to students and young-at-heart adults alike,” Lieutenant Cox said.

STEAM Dreaming in Armidale

STEAM Dreaming in Armidale was an outstanding opportunity – jam packed with fun and information to better understand the Indigenous culture and their traditions.

Hearing stories about the land and early Aborigines was an awesome twist on perspective. The morals and wisdom shared from special speakers as very moving and made everyone attending look at themselves and each other differently and a much more positive and motivated manner.
The Destination Imagination Kids Day workshop was a blast. Children aged 4 to 14 were engaged in a variety of activities that catered for different interests and talents.

Congratulations to one of our Student Ambassadors – Aaron Popich!

He has received this amazing DUX award for his work in AAFC. The Royal Australian Air Force Cadet program is one that students should participate in.

First student ambassadors to lead young people into STEM careers

NINE teenagers from around NSW gathered at One Giant Leap Australia headquarters in South Windsor this week for a four-day ‘camp’, during which the kids undertook leadership training to become the first group of One Giant Leap Australia student ambassadors.

The group, which included two Hawkesbury High School kids, along with others travelling from areas including Albury, Wagga Wagga and Sydney, stayed at the home of One Giant Leap Australia directors Jackie and Bob Carpenter who run the One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, helping kids from around the country attend Space Camp in America and built their STEM skills.

Congratulations to all our ‘Out of this World’ designers!

Thank you for entering our ‘Design Todd Barber an Australian Space Shirt’ competition! After careful consideration and much debate, the following students are to be congratulated

Design Todd Barber a Shirt!

Todd Barber loves his space shirts! He needs more designs – especially Australian designed space themes. Southern Cross, Emu in the sky, the Dish or any other pattern you think is cool.

Space industry leaders tour Australia to inspire young women

The Australian Space Agency was launched last year in a bid to grow the nation’s space industry. But to achieve its goal of creating 20,000 new jobs in the sector by 2030, we’ll need a whole new generation of space professionals, and that includes inspiring more young women to join the STEM sector. A team

Science@Sunset and into the stars

Just before this year’s National Science Week, NASA JPL scientists will be touching down in the Territory! Our speakers include Deb Brice who has been a Marine Science educator for more than 25 years and has worked with NASA JPL, NOAA and the National Science Foundation (to name a few) to enlighten us on Science

Space, STEM and Your Future 2019 (SSYF)

From Tom Nolan: I received this wonderful email from a boy who wrote to me after last year’s Space, STEM and Your Future (SSYF) events, and again now to let us know that he is excited to have tickets to this year’s SSYF events. To me, this young man has already launched his career, lifted

Australian Space Outlook 2019

One Giant Leap Australia is very proud to be part of the inaugural edition of Australian Space Outlook 2019 Edition. Thanks to David Sanis for providing us with the opportunity and we are very, very grateful.

Future Space Scholar Competition

The inaugural Future Space Scholar competition being coordinated by the International Teenager Competition and Communication Centre (ITCCC). The ITCCC aims to introduce the best international resources to educate and develop youth by developing high quality education products. For years, ITCCC has worked with organisations managing international competitions for teenagers. We connect students with a multitude

50 years ago: Apollo 11 rolls out, NASA sets mid-July target for launch

Fifty years ago today, the massive Saturn V rocket for the Apollo 11 mission that would fulfill President Kennedy’s goal of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth” before the end of the decade began rolling out to Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. That same day,