Women prepare for 'space jobs that don't exist yet'

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BBC A woman in a red blazer jacket and blue polo shirt smiles at the camera. She is shoulder length hair. She is in a coffee shop surrounded by tables and chairs.

Women are being prepared for jobs in space exploration that "may not yet even exist", according to one female astronaut.

Pioneers from across the aerospace sector gathered in Yeovil in Somerset on Monday to highlight the region's role in space exploration.

The annual AeroWomen event was run by helicopter firm Leonardo, and focuses on helping people find their way into the industry.

Meganne Christian, a reserve astronaut at the European Space Agency, said events that bring women from the sector together help show the wide range of opportunities available.

An auditorium of people all looking at a stage, where someone is presenting. The room is dark with purple light.

Christian, who also works as a senior exploration manager at the UK Space Agency, said while she was fascinated by space growing up, she "never saw anybody [like her] in this field".

"It's important to see the breadth of career opportunities so that you don't feel like you're locked into something and maybe you can find what really sparks your passion," she added.

A woman is in the middle of the frame, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a red blouse and has shoulder length brown hair. Behind her through a window is an outdoor seating area.

Charlotte Fox, a graduate systems engineer at Leonardo who studied spacecraft engineering, hosted a panel talking about careers in the space sector.

She said the "changing landscape" in the industry which is bringing in more women is "inspiring".

"It's... given me the opportunity to expand my soft skills and communication in a way that the day-to-day work doesn't always provide."

She added she wants to continue to work hard so she can be a role model for the "engineers of the future".

A woman is stood in the middle of the frame, smiling at the camera. She has shoulder length red hair. She is wearing a black cardigan and blue shirt. Behind her is a man filming someone on a camera.

Lisa Haskell began her career as an engineer at Leonardo's Yeovil site, going on to work as an Earth observation specialist for the firm's space division in Luton.

She said AeroWomen is getting the next generation "thinking 'I want to do this' and then seeing someone that does it, and then knowing that that's a thing that you possibly can do".

Haskell added: "When I first came into the industry, I was in an office of about 20 people and two of us were women - I was a new graduate and the other woman was a mentor for me.

"Where I work now there's so many more women and a lot of young people just coming up through the industry - it has definitely changed now."

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