In September 2021, Sian Proctor made history as the first Black female pilot of a spacecraft on the Inspiration4 mission aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. She also spent two decades teaching geology and planetary science, has completed four analog missions as an analog astronaut, and uses her Afrofuturism space art to encourage conversations and women of color in the space industry.
Proctor’s motto is Space2inspire, which she uses to encourage people to use their unique, one-of-a-kind strengths and passions to inspire those within their reach and beyond. In this Exploring Space lecture, Proctor will share how her perspective as a geoscientist, explorer, space artist, and poet has changed as a result of her three days in space.
This program will be presented in-person in the Rasmuson Theater at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and will be streamed live on YouTube with live closed captioning. Registration is required for in person attendance and encouraged for online viewing.
Register to attend in person at the National Museum of the American Indian.
About the Exploring Space Lecture Series
Eyes on Earth
Access to space hasn’t just allowed us to learn more about stars and other planets, it has also given us new tools and a new vantage point from which to learn about our home on Earth and the complex and interacting systems that make it a habitable world. The 2022 Exploring Space Lecture Series will highlight work done in space today to better understand our shared history with our planet, with remote sensing, human observation, and exoplanet science searching for new Earths. Discover all the programs in this year’s series.
The Exploring Space Lecture Series is made possible by the generous support of Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance.
Can't wait for the lecture? You can get to know Sian Proctor in a recent episode of our AirSpace podcast about simulated space missions and analog astronauts. Listen to Even Better Than the Real Thing.
Presented Online and at the National Museum of the American Indian