Sky’s the limit for space roles

By Cameron Cooper    

Think of space science research and it is fair to say that Australia does not spring to mind as an industry leader.

While astronaut Andy Thomas has won deserved acclaim for his role in various space shuttle missions, the nation’s work in this area has largely flown under the radar since being at the forefront of satellite and rocket technology in the 1960s.

Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne are hoping to start turning that reputation around through their contribution to the Australian Space Research Program, which focuses on disciplines such as in-space tracking and navigation, space weather and atmospheric and climate modelling.

Other participants in the program include the University of NSW, Curtin University of Technology, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, GPSat Systems Australia and EOS Space Systems.

Kefei Zhang, a professor and director in the school of mathematical and geospatial sciences at RMIT, admits that in the past Australia’s space research efforts have lagged those of some other developed countries despite the presence of some world-class talent.

“I think historically the problem is that our market has been too small, so it’s difficult to have a [strong] industry,” he says.

The absence of a strong government body to co-ordinate the sector has also been an issue.

“It’s not really an industry where you can make money and commercialise things, so that’s why we did not have that kind of government organisation to co-ordinate and to promote [us], but suddenly people are realising this is a huge market and we have done quite well in research and we need to promote our science and industry technology in this area.”

A 2008 Senate inquiry into the state of Australia’s space science drove home the point, noting that Africa had successfully launched its first satellite from a base in Kourou, French Guiana, while Australia had yet to achieve such a landmark.

“So a little country [in Africa] could launch their own satellite but we couldn’t,” Zhang notes.

The federal government’s response has been to set up the $40 million Australian Space Research Program, including a space policy unit, in the hope of tapping into a global market for commercial satellite-based products and services it estimates at more than $100 billion a year.

“It’s a huge market,” Zhang says, adding that he believes Australia can win a share of that lucrative industry.

To further the cause, RMIT is seeking at least one senior project manager and six research fellows to work in its space research team.

The project manager will assist in areas such as global positioning systems, geodesy (the science of the size and shape of the Earth), space tracking and meteorology.

The research fellows will examine disciplines such as applied mathematics, space physics, meteorology and global navigation satellite systems.

Given the requirement to promote space research, Zhang says candidates for the project manager role should have the ability to “sell our research” and liaise with relevant government organisations and politicians.

“Certainly, personality is an important consideration and because we have a large group of people they have to get along well and work with people.”

The research fellow positions will involve work on the development of algorithms for new-generation navigation and geo-environmental satellite programs to enhance Australia’s capability in space research.

They will also assess data drawn from the satellite networks of countries such as the US, Germany and Taiwan.

Candidates should preferably have a few years’ postdoctoral experience in a relevant discipline and be capable of publishing their research findings.

“[They must] be able to write high-quality papers,” Zhang says. “And also having programming skills is important because much of our work is to do with algorithm development and programming and software systems. So that’s very important.”

He notes that the successful candidates will have the chance to work in a fascinating field with talented peers. “It’s very exciting research and very important.

“We want to [expand] this area [and] we want to attract high-calibre people internationally.”

Also on the agenda, ultimately, will be the task of ensuring that Australia belatedly launches its own satellite.

Discussions are being held with NASA and experts from Taiwan who have experience in the field to make this a reality.

“We are talking about the next generation of space, so this is our next step, our aim,” Zhang says.

Article from The Australian, September 11, 2010.