Ask an Astronaut

Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg is coming to Boola Bardip, and we’re over the Moon! Meet Katherine inside our To the Moon exhibition and discover how to turn the dream of blasting off into space into a reality.

Join us for an unforgettable evening with Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Australia’s first female astronaut and the first astronaut trained under the Australian flag. Bring the whole family—little astronauts welcome—and learn how to turn the dream of space travel into reality and get answers to your burning questions:

• How do you become an astronaut?
• What does floating in almost zero gravity feel like?
• What will you miss most during a spaceflight mission?

With the help of Commander Kat, Perth’s RTR resident science guru, we’ll explore these questions and more. This family-friendly Q&A session promises out-of-this-world insights into the thrilling world of space exploration.

Supported by Forrest Research Foundation, International Space Centre and The University of WA .

Meet the Astronaut - Katherine Bennell-Pegg

Katherine Bennell-Pegg is an Australian Astronaut and Space Systems Engineer. She is the first person to qualify as an astronaut under the Australian flag.

Katherine works for the Australian Space Agency, where she has contributed to growing Australia's space capability as technical lead on scoping the nation's first Moon rover mission, developing plans to capitalise on Australia's space strengths, and managing the Access to Space Team. She has more than a decade of experience developing space programs and strategies, technologies, and missions across Europe, the UK, the US and Australia. These include the Orion vehicle that is taking humans back to the Moon, space station facilities, earth observation missions and robotic satellite capture technologies.

In 2023, Katherine took the giant leap to achieving her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, when she began training with the European Space Agency in Germany. She graduated in April 2024, and is qualified for missions to the International Space Station.

Katherine holds four degrees in science (physics major), space and aeronautical engineering. She is passionate about using human spaceflight and space to unlock opportunities for researchers and industry, as well as to inspire the next generation.

Meet the Host – Commander Kat 

While Commander Kat’s day job as an academic at ECU focuses on building a sustainable future here on Earth, where she works with major transport projects to reduce their carbon emissions, her true passion has always been pointed towards the cosmos.

A self-declared space cadet, Kat has shared her passion for science and space for more than 30 years, including a presenting weekly segment on RTRFM.