Starbound: Space in Songs & Science
Music met science at Starbound: Space in Songs & Science, an immersive public engagement event held on Tuesday, 10 June. The event was a collaboration between Maaike Siegerist, artist and IAA Digital Communications Officer, and Dr Gilles Bailet, Lecturer in Space Technology at the University of Glasgow, and formed part of the Glasgow Science Festival. Around 40 people attended, including music fans, university staff, and astronomy students.
Space songs
Billionaires in space, a lonely cosmonaut, the swan song of the ERS-2 satellite, the Voyager probes and their golden records, and a love song for a legendary sci-fi series — these were the themes of the songs performed by Maaike, joined by local musician Jonni Slater on keyboard and backing vocals. All the songs are featured on her new space-themed EP, Starbound, which she officially launched at the event. As an encore, they performed a song about the astronomer Galileo Galilei – a piano rendition of a track Maaike has written with her band, Long Earth.
Space engineering
Between performances, Maaike interviewed space engineer, Dr Bailet, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Lecturer in Space Technology, about his work. He also answered questions from the audience.
Dr. Bailet spoke about how space engineering benefits everyday life on Earth — from satellite-based weather forecasting and climate monitoring to secure financial transactions and medical technologies such as dialysis machines. However, referencing Maaike’s song, he also expressed criticism of billionaires venturing into space, noting that they are not working towards a more sustainable space sector. Instead, he emphasised the importance of engaging with the public to understand what people truly want from space.
Dr Bailet also shared his experience of taking a zero-gravity flight late last year. The plane’s nickname – the “Vomit Comet” – drew laughter from the audience. He said that an injection prevented him from becoming unwell and described the new technologies he was testing, which will enable 3D printing in space. These worked flawlessly during the test flight, which was funded by the EPSRC IAA and the Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Fund (GKEF).
The successful test brings Dr Bailet’s vision for the future of space engineering – in-space manufacturing and recycling – a step closer. “What we’re working on at the University [of Glasglow], and what Scotland is pushing, is sustainability in space, and to have a circular economy down the line. To try to have things recycled and reused again and again in space, so we don’t use rockets that much anymore, and the tiny launchers that we are building in Cumbernauld, only 20 minutes away, will be enough for all the space missions.”
Starbound: Space in Songs & Science was part of the Glasgow Science Festival and supported by the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account at the University of Glasgow.
Watch a video of the full event on YouTube.