Space Explr

Sunny Kabrawala is the Founder & Director at STAR - Space Technology & Aeronautical Rocketry. He's been following his passion for space at the age of 10 years. Due to academic failures and fewer grades, he could not join any space agency. When he was 19, Sunny realized that he lives in a country where every other kid aspires to be a space pioneer, but they can not pursue their dream because of fewer grades in academia, educational background, and financial issues. He founded STAR as a Space education & research-based startup to make space for everyone irrespective of their grades, gender, nationality, and all other criteria defined by humans. He is a curious mind that is desperate to make space accessible to students.

Kyla Edison is the Geology and Material Science Technician for the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), a state-funded aerospace agency dedicated to promoting the aerospace industry in Hawaiʻi through economic development, workforce development, and applied research. Kyla attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo majoring in Geology with a dedicated focus on Planetary Geology and Volcanology. After graduating in 2016, she landed a job at PISCES as the Geology and Material Science Technician due to her experience working with basaltic lava and igneous petrology. Leading the Materials Science research at PISCES, Kyla is currently investigating if all basalt feedstocks—regardless of chemical and mineral abundances—are appropriate for making durable construction materials that may be applicable to future base settlements on the moon and Mars. Her research involves making tiles through a process known as sintering (similar to ceramics). The basalt feedstock is crushed, dried, sieved, and then fired in a kiln between 1,150 °C and 1,180 °C. Though Kyla’s project began by focusing on the moon and Mars, the results show significant promise for applications on Earth as well. The materials are relatively environmentally friendly and require no additives. All that is needed is basalt and an intensive energy source to provide heat. The next step for Kyla’s career will be attending the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Ph.D. program in fall 2021 and hopes to expand upon her sintering capabilities more suited for lunar/martian environments.

Shivam Kumar Singh is the Founder & CEO of Spaceonova, a leading space education and research-based company in India. He was also the Final Judge at NASA Space Apps Challenge 2020, Pune, India, and Hack the mountains - Hackathon. He is a young 21-year-old space advocate and has been a guest speaker at 10+ events. He is a thought leader with a Solution-Oriented Mindset and As part of Australasian Dark Sky Alliance's community of citizen scientists, he with other members created history by showing their interest in preserving the night environment and sharing their view of the night sky. They made a world record for "The most users to take an online environmental sustainability lesson in 24 hours" and this is created by 4283 people, achieved by Australasian Dark Sky Alliance (Australia) on 21 June 2020. The lesson subject focused on light pollution and its effect on the environment. Shivam also has a personal record of 44 preliminary discoveries of asteroids and has led around 16 teams to participate in the International Asteroid Search Campaign, which then has led onto make 161 preliminary discoveries of asteroids and 2 provisional discoveries of asteroids.

Manasi Patil is a 15-year-old author, blogger, book reviewer, columnist, editor, and an avid researcher. Today, she has two books to her name, along with several blogs, stories, articles that have been published in acclaimed newspapers and magazines. Her writing mainly focuses on creating an insightful impact on society, through both, fictional and non-fictional works. Believing in youth leadership, Manasi has been invited as a guest speaker and panelist at various events to encourage the students and teenagers to present there. She is an aspiring space scientist, with a huge love for science, space study, and any information on the origin and future of life. Galaxies amuse her, and stars make her want to reach them!

Sourav Karmakar is doing research on Soft & Flexible Robotics. His vision is to make hybrid, origami & soft robots for med-tech, defense & aerospace applications. His StartUp (Infinos Tech LLP) is a Renewable energy-based portable Logistics device for the biotech application. Another service-based product is an educational tool for the medical & specially-abled student with a customized A.R+Robotics solution. He is an Indian Chapter Chair of Space Renaissance International to grow awareness about STEM/Space. His TEDx talk is about the same, i.e. "Space For Everyone". Sourav also helps individuals/startups build products from scratch.

NASA SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, NASA Night Sky Network Coordinator. Astronomy instructor for the last 12 years at Fox Astronomical Observatory, traveling to other observatories, planetaria, parks, schools, libraries, and conferences.

Jukka Paavilainen talks about space photography equipment, art, science and the future of space. He is the CEO of Astro Art Finland, a Scandinavian astronomy dealer. He has done astrophotography for the past 10 years and now he's able to provide good service to other people in the field of astronomy.

Joe Khalaf is a technology strategist working for a Silicon Valley technology company but based in Houston. When he's not busy trying to figure out what the "next great thing" is from a tech perspective, he is also the president of the Houston Astronomical Society - one of the largest and most active astronomy clubs in the united states with over 850 members. Prior to becoming the president of the Houston Astronomical Society, Joe was the Outreach Chairperson for the club, organizing and hosting hundreds of astronomy outreach events for people in the greater Houston area for over 4 years. These events ranged anywhere from talks for preschool classrooms to doing outreach at large electronic dance music festivals with over 60,000 people in attendance. Last year, Joe became a NASA Solar System Ambassador, which allows him to share the stores of NASA's exploration and accomplishments widely. But what joe is most proud of is that he was the recipient of the 2017 Omega Centauri Award, given at the Texas Star Party for his efforts in astronomy education and outreach.

Dr. Bhairavi Shankar is a Planetary Scientist and entrepreneur. She founded Indus Space, a social enterprise, to raise public awareness around Space Science and Exploration and its links to STEM. Through programs and workshops (virtual or in-person) she often works with all age groups. She loves to promote space science and the role of diverse women in STEM. She serves on the boards at Lotus STEMM (engaging South Asian girls in STEMM) and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Toronto Centre.

Allen Mitchell is a lifelong lover of astronomy and science in general. A programmer by day, and amateur astronomer by night, Allen studies the night sky and takes photos through his telescope in his backyard observatory in Dallas, Tx. Allen runs a small YouTube channel with the goal of helping would-be astrophotographers take the first steps into photographing the night sky and co-runs a Facebook group with over 23,000 members worldwide.