Wikipedia

Libby Jackson

Elizabeth "Libby" Anne Jackson OBE FRAeS (born 18 March 1981)[1] is a British space exploration expert who works for the UK Space Agency.

Early life and education

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Libby Jackson's enthusiasm for space travel started young, when, as a seven-year-old, she wrote a Travel Guide to Mars.[2] Aged fifteen she attended Space School, before choosing A-Levels in Physics, Maths, Further Maths and Music.[3][4] She developed an interest in human spaceflight aged seventeen, after shadowing a flight director at NASA Johnson Space Center.[5] She went on to complete a BSc in physics at Imperial College London in 2002 and an MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University in 2003.[6][5]

Career 

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After graduating from Cranfield, Jackson worked as a graduate engineer at EADS Astrium.[7] From 2007, Libby Jackson worked at Europe's control centre for the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight instructor and controller.[8] She became director for the ISS European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus Module in 2010.[9] Jackson joined the UK Space Agency in 2014 and became spokesperson for Tim Peake's mission to the ISS.[10] In 2016 and 2018, Jackson spoke at the National Student Space Conference, hosted by UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS), the UK's national student space society.[11] She coordinated the UK Space Agency education and outreach programme for Peake's mission.[9][12] She previously managed the Human Exploration Programme at the UK Space Agency, representing the UK's interest in human spaceflight and microgravity,[13][14] and is currently the Head of Space Exploration.[15]

In July 2019 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Kent[16] and in the 2023 New Year Honours was awarded an Order of the British Empire "for services to the Space Sector".[17]

Public engagement and outreach

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Jackson works to improve the public perception of space science and engineering, contributing to mainstream media and speaking at large events.[18][19][20][21][22][23] In 2016, Jackson ran the London Marathon in an astronaut costume, whilst at the same event, Tim Peake became the first male to run a marathon in space.[24] She was part of the team awarded the Sir Arthur Clarke Award from the British Interplanetary Society in 2016 for the outreach activities surrounding Tim Peake's Principia Mission.[25][26] Her first book, A Galaxy of Her Own, was published in 2017.[27] Her second book, Space Explorers, was published in 2020.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Jackson, Libby (17 July 2014). "How to get started in space BFOS".
  2. ^ Science Museum (6 November 2015), Space Memory: Libby Jackson, retrieved 11 December 2017
  3. ^ "Libby Jackson". www.destinationspace.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  4. ^ Libby, Jackson (16 November 2017). A galaxy of her own : amazing stories of women in space. London. ISBN 978-1473553262. OCLC 1009335446.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ a b "Swindon spaceflight expert bound for TV on BBC2's Astronauts". Swindon Advertiser. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  6. ^ "An Imperial alumnus is helping Tim Peake inspire a new generation of astronauts". Imperial College London. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  7. ^ UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS) (17 July 2014). "How to get started in space BFOS". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ Lyons, Tom (19 May 2016). "How many people does it take to put an astronaut in space?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  9. ^ a b "National Space Academy - Libby Jackson". nationalspaceacademy.org. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  10. ^ Fitzgerald, Ben. "UK Space Agency's Libby Jackson is a rising star | Swindon Link". swindonlink.com. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  11. ^ "UKSEDS National Student Space Conference". UKSEDS.org. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Faculty of Natural Sciences | Alumni | Imperial College London". www.imperial.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  13. ^ "New UK projects look at the impact of spaceflight on the human body - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  14. ^ "Surrey team wins funding for experiments that could help humans adapt better to space". University of Surrey - Guildford. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  15. ^ "New Year Honours recognition for space experts - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  16. ^ July 2019, Martin Herrema 1 (July 2019). "Singer Ellie Goulding among those to receive honorary degrees from Kent - University of Kent". The University of Kent. Retrieved 4 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "New Year Honours recognition for space experts". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  18. ^ Rosney, Daniel (21 August 2015). "One Direction's space-themed Drag Me Down video explained - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Newsbeat. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  19. ^ "STEM | AMSAT-UK". amsat-uk.org. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  20. ^ Snelling, Tara (13 May 2017). "Mars by 2021? Thoughts from the author of 'The Martian' and the former NASA Chief Scientist". The Oxford Student (OxStu). Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Libby Jackson". New Scientist Live 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Libby Jackson interview for Heston's Dinner in Space - Channel 4 - Info - Press". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  23. ^ Shukman, David (17 June 2016). "Tim Peake: What has he achieved?". BBC News. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  24. ^ "Latest News | Peake's partners in space suits to open London Marathon Expo". www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  25. ^ "Sir Arthur Clarke Awards Winners". www.bis-space.com. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  26. ^ "Winners of the Sir Arthur Clarke Awards 2016". www.bis-space.com. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  27. ^ A Galaxy of Her Own, Amazing Stories of Women in Space by Libby Jackson. www.penguin.co.uk. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  28. ^ Jackson, Libby (3 March 2020). Space Explorers by Libby Jackson. Hachette Children's. ISBN 9781526362117. Retrieved 4 January 2023. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
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