NASA astronaut Commander Susan Kilrain touches down in East London on September 12 at Merrifield School as part of a mission to advocate for careers in science, maths and technology to bridge the local and national youth unemployment gap.
Kilrain is a trailblazing NASA astronaut, distinguished US Navy test pilot, aerospace engineer and STEM advocate.
Her visit forms part of the Living Math’s Space Tour of 2025 throughout September, which will bring Kilrain to the Western Cape and East London.
Living Math’s is an organisation dedicated empowering youth with creative, analytical and mathematical skills.
Kilrain is one of only three women, and the youngest person, to pilot the space shuttle. She flew two missions, STS-83 and STS-94, spending more than 20 days in space, and has logged more than 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. Her career also includes two decades in the US Navy, where she broke barriers for women in aviation and earned high honours such as the Defence Superior Service Medal. Today, she travels the globe as a motivational speaker, especially encouraging young women and underprivileged youth to pursue STEM careers.
Steve Sherman of Living Maths and organiser of the tour, said: “Over the past few years we have hosted five female astronauts in SA, and each had a different journey to space, some through academic research and internships, others via the military and pilot training.
“In a male-dominated industry, many felt they had to go above and beyond to prove they belonged, and some battled imposter syndrome. But they all proved their critics wrong and reminded their colleagues to ‘stay in their lanes’.”
Sherman said one of the tour’s key goals is to inspire future generations, especially young women:
“Space is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, and there will be many work opportunities for students who pursue maths and science. We firmly believe that if young women see women achieving success, they will believe they can do it too.
“That’s why we’ll also be visiting under-resourced schools to ensure the message reaches all corners of the community.”
He said with SANSA announcing plans to establish an astronaut corps, South Africans may soon see more local representation in space.
“My advice to students, especially girls, is to follow your passion for STEM subjects, and doors will open for you.”
Merrifield’s head of marketing and communications, Diane Bosse said hosting Kilrain was a rare and valuable opportunity: “Her experience in aeronautics is remarkable. As a woman, she faced societal challenges but never let that stall her dream.
“There are many pupils and adults alike, passionate about space, and how marvellous to give our community the chance to listen to an astronaut!”
Bosse added that the visit aligned perfectly with Merrifield’s iCreate programme, which runs from grade 1-9: “This is our unique approach in STEM thinking and teaching. iCreate is an acronym for innovation, creativity, research, engineering, arts, technology and entrepreneurship; which explains what happens in these classes.”
The public talk will take place at Merrifield College from 5.30-7.30pm on Friday September 12. The evening will include a space-themed quiz and costume competition.
Seats are limited and booking is essential. Buy tickets on Quicket.
