Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock faced travel chaos getting to the Royal Institution in London. Despite the difficult journey, she made it in time to prepare for her Christmas Lectures about the farthest parts of the universe. She jokingly described being stranded and wishing for a quick rescue, like in Star Trek, but no help arrived.
The presenter of The Sky at Night, inspired to pursue space science by a childhood viewing of Clangers, is running on just three hours of sleep. Despite this, she’s incredibly energetic – a trait that both causes her sleeplessness and has made her well-known. She explains, ‘I have dyslexia and ADHD, so my mind is always full of ideas, which can be a lot to handle sometimes.’
In a three-part series on BBC Four called ‘Is There Life beyond Earth?’, she’ll share her insights on topics like NASA’s plans for lunar missions, the possibility of life on planets outside our solar system, and the challenges of establishing long-term human settlements in space. She’ll also discuss how the James Webb Space Telescope – a project she helped design – is changing our understanding of the universe’s origins.
Dame Maggie had a challenging childhood – her parents split up when she was young, she struggled with dyslexia, and moved schools frequently, attending thirteen in total. Despite this, she became a successful scientist, attributing her achievements to having a strong vision for her future. She’s also passionate about making sure everyone feels welcome and included in the world of space exploration.
When I was young, I always pictured the people who studied space as ancient Greeks and Romans. We often only hear about those cultures, but really, every culture throughout history has been fascinated by the stars. It’s a shared human experience and belongs to all of us.
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It’s safe to say our ancestors wouldn’t have predicted today’s space tourism boom, driven by billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson. While Maggie Smith is hopeful that space travel will become more accessible – despite the incredibly high price tags, such as the $28 million cost of a 2021 Blue Origin flight – she does have some reservations.
She argues that exploring space is too crucial to be left solely to the decisions of wealthy individuals. With the possibility of extraterrestrial life, we need to consider how we’ll interact with it, and avoid simply exploiting space for our own gain. She believes we need laws and regulations established before we expand further into space, because historically, humans haven’t been great at handling new frontiers responsibly.
Does she believe we’ll eventually discover life beyond Earth? She says she’s quite sure there is life out there, but thinks alien abductions are unlikely given the immense size of space.
Even if aliens are there, I think they might find it quite challenging to find us.”
After speaking to over 650,000 people about space, this educator admits she’s tired, but loves her work. If she could change one thing, it would be how people view the value of space exploration. She points out that while people question the cost of space programs, they don’t do the same for the arts. While she contributed to the James Webb telescope, much of her work focuses on satellites that monitor Earth – helping us understand climate change and respond to disasters – benefits that often go unnoticed.
She encourages us to put down our phones and take time to appreciate the sky, just as people used to. She noticed many people looking at their phones while waiting at the station on a beautiful day, and realized that simply looking up at the sun and sky can be a truly uplifting experience. She suggests we make a habit of doing this, as it can bring joy and a sense of wonder.
Dame Maggie is an accomplished inventor and physicist – she’s created devices to find landmines and was the first Black woman to receive a Physics News Award gold medal. However, her biggest dream is still to travel to space. She points out that all twelve people who have walked on the Moon have been white, American men. Now, NASA is looking to change that, seeking a woman, a non-American, and a person of color for future missions.
She’s eager to go, saying she’ll be there if her train schedule allows.
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2025-12-08 20:37