The next generation of space exploration is looking to the Moon not only with awe and wonder, but as a site of key resources that we’ll need to be able to mine and harness. As one of Australia’s leading space engineers, Sarah Cannard and her team of scientists and engineers are developing a rover for NASA’s Artemis program, to land on the moon, dig-up regolith (moon dirt) and deliver it for processing to extract oxygen and one day water and hydrogen. Essential resources that astronauts will need to support an ongoing, viable presence on the Moon, and use it as a launchpad to further exploration, including going to Mars. Dr Sarah Cannard is a space systems engineer and scientist with a passion for pushing Australian technology to its limits, and then beyond. For almost two decades she has worked in the Australian Defence and Space industry and is now the Lead Engineer for an Australian Lunar Rover to support a NASA mission to the Moon. She is also at the forefront of deep-tech space research and development in Australia and a Director of a company supporting space startups.
Sarah has been involved with many complex Defence and Space programs including the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa 1 Spacecraft re-entry into the middle of desert in central Australia, hypersonic sub-orbital rocket launches, weapons testing, Moon Rover research, and autonomous vehicle tests and trials. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx