Rocket scientist says time to launch PH space dreams

FROM NASA TO MANILA Bahamian American scientist Aisha Bowe said she had “flown fighter jets” and “jumped out of planes” but always keeps in mind her humble beginnings in the Bahamas and the purpose of space research “for the benefit of Earth.” —KATHLEEN DE VILLA

The Philippines is not short on talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)—just ask no less than a rocket scientist formerly associated with US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).

For aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, who is on a weeklong visit to Manila to celebrate Philippine Space Week, the country “is in a prime position” to offer world-class science and produce a new breed of scientists through its own Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).

As a Bahamian American whose parents sought better opportunities in the United States, Bowe said some of the challenges confronting the Philippines in the areas of education, environment and food security hit close to home.

This, she noted, is where the core of her commercial space research advocacy comes from: “It’s about using space for the benefit of Earth.”

Historic flight

“[I come] from a background where [the Bahamas] doesn’t have a human space program, we don’t have a launch capability,” she told reporters on Friday in a roundtable which is part of a multicountry tour under the US Department of State.

In Manila, she also met with students of Philippine Science High School and Adamson University.

“I flew in fighter jets, I jumped out of planes, I did a lot of things … But I also was able to, during the course of my flight, execute several things in microgravity that will have an impact long after I leave the Earth,” she said.

In April, Bowe was among an all-female crew that flew a New Shepard rocket of Washington-based space tech firm Blue Origin to hold microgravity research and experiments with support from Nasa.

She made this historic flight while wearing another hat as founder of STEMBoard, a US tech company that focuses on using artificial intelligence, data analytics and systems engineering.

Bowe is also the founder of LINGO, a STEM learning tool for students wanting to pursue a science career.

Microgravity research

One of her extensive research is how microgravity, or the appearance of weightlessness in space, and space radiation can be a tool in genetically sequencing crops, including sweet potatoes, tomatoes and chickpeas, in space.

“As part of my experiment, what we were looking at was how to identify genes that would make plants more robust. And it’s my hope that in the future, this will be applied to being able to grow plants with minimal ideal conditions. That means maybe the water is less than what it needs to be [or] maybe the soil is less than what it needs to be,” she explained.

Bowe is also exploring breakthroughs in space medicine for human health, having collected in-flight biometric data for Nasa’s Translational Research Institute for Health.

To do all these, PhilSA could look into partnering with companies that venture into commercial space flights to conduct further research for the country’s areas of interest, whether it be space agriculture or health, said Bowe.

Spaceport

“And so the question that I posed to PhilSA was—What is it that is important to the Philippines to study? Encourage them to go out and find commercial partnerships that would allow them to put their research on those flights and bring those insights back here,” she said.

The next step, she continued, “is to step into that future where you put a person in space.”

This would open up massive opportunities for development and collaboration for more space programs that impact everyday Filipinos.

“There’s no shortage of opportunities … We’re looking at the idea of a spaceport. We’re looking at increased connectivity. We’re looking at more responsive options when it comes to mitigating disasters through satellite-based communications. There’s no shortage of opportunities that could potentially be lucrative that contribute to not only the future of space, but a better future for the Philippines,” she said.