HOUSTON – Megan McArthur is a NASA Astronaut serving as one of the few women in the field. She caught up with Derrick to share how she hopes to make the group of space explorers more diverse, and her current role at Space Center Houston!
In honor of today being International Women’s Day, it was only right to catch up with Megan who is an Engineer, Oceanographer, Astronaut, and Scientist. She’s truly amazing and hopes to see young women in the space world one day, like herself.
When asked about her role as a woman in a historically male dominated field, she says, “It’s such a privilege to be part of space exploration in any facet and to represent women in this way, is a tremendous privilege and I’m lucky every day that I get to be here.”
Her newest title is ‘Chief Science Officer,’ which is the first of its kind at Space Center Houston. In this role, she will be helping support the authenticity of the programming offered. Space Center Houston provides space exploration learning, for both children and the public. They hope to bring people interested in space closer together. Their end goal is to have children and people of all ages engage with science, technology, engineering, and math.
She’s done two missions and has spent over 200+ days in space.
With her father being a Pilot, as a little girl, she always felt she wanted to be just like her dad, but in her own way.
As she grew up, she was around airplanes and aviation, which is where she found her passion for space exploration and wanting to be an Astronaut.
If you’re stuck in a roadblock with what you want to do in life, she says, “If you follow the thing you love to do, you’re going to end up in the right place.”
Watch the clip above to see more of her story, and inspiring message.
If you’re needing some last-minute spring break plans, the Moon 2 Mars Festival is a look at space technology with immersive experiences and Astronaut appearances!
WHERE: Space Center Houston
WHEN: March 11th through March 19th.
There will be live concerts from Rick Springfield, Sister Hazel and Bidi Bidi Banda!
Tickets start at $44.95 for adults, $39.95 for ages 4 to 11, and FREE for ages 3 and under!
Click here for tickets.