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NASA Deputy Administrator Visits Perth and Sydney, Australia
13 MINUTE READ
February 23, 2023

NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy visited Australia on February 10-14, 2023 to discuss U.S.-Australia space partnerships with business, government and youth representatives.  

In Perth, Deputy Administrator Melroy gave a keynote address and participated in a panel discussion on February 10 hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) WA which was attended by hundreds of industry members. She toured SpAARC (Australian Space Automation Ai and Robotics Control Complex).

Above: Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy with Western Australian Deputy Premier Roger Cook, U.S. Consul General Perth Siriana Nair, Head of the Australian Space Agency Enrico Palermo, and WA industry representatives. Credit: U.S. Consulate Perth. 

At Curtin University, Deputy Administrator Melroy joined the CSIRO’s Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy for a yarning circle where she spoke to students about her experience breaking barriers as a woman in STEM.  

On February 14, Deputy Administrator Melroy joined high school students from Western Sydney and across New South Wales who are part of the “Powerhouse: Future Space” program to launch their next mission – a student-designed experiment which will be conducted on the International Space Station in 2024.   

She also discussed areas for bilateral cooperation in space with AmCham members in Sydney, as well as the importance of securing a bilateral Technology Safeguard Agreement. 

Above: Meeting with the CSIRO Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy’s WA cohort.

Background 

Pamela Melroy was sworn in as the NASA Deputy Administrator on June 21. She has served more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force and as a NASA astronaut, and has held a number of leadership roles, including at Lockheed Martin, Federal Aviation Administration, Nova Systems and as an advisor to the Australian Space Agency. She is one of only two women to have commanded a space shuttle and has logged more than 38 days (924 hours) in space. 

See also 

  • High-resolution photos (Flickr)
  • Interview with The West Australian (link)  
  • Interview with ABC Triple J Hack (listen) 
  • Interview with the Sydney Morning Herald (link)