In June of this year we reported on alumna Caroline Swenson’s guest interview with astronaut Helen Sharman for the ‘Preparing for Launch’ podcast, hosted by UKSEDS (UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space). Caroline, currently a Physics Undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, is the Executive Producer for the podcast, leading a team of 10 and hosting the episodes. Caroline is pleased to announce that her team have almost completed the first series, with the final episode featuring an interview with CEO/Director of the European Space Agency, Jan Wörner.

The podcast appeals to its target audience of university STEM students and aims to highlight the approachability of a career in the space sector by showcasing different routes into the industry and the variety of careers within. Hosts of the podcast have adopted the descriptive catchphrase, "entertainment, education, advice, and insight", highlighting their fundamental desire for parity between these principles.

Such is its success; a second series of the podcast has been announced for next year - this time sponsored by major UK aerospace companies.

In addition to ‘Preparing for Launch’, Caroline has also written job portfolios and articles about the space industry, news and jobs for SpaceCareers.uk. She recently co-wrote a paper that is published in the UKSEDS Student Symposium about the "Feasibility of Low-Earth-Orbit Space Stations" and wrote a paper with a team designing a Mars city state that will be published in The Mars Society's new book: “Mars City States: New Societies for a New World.”   

We’ll be featuring more about Caroline next year, but in the meantime, you can listen to the ‘Preparing for Launch’ podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.