Spencer plans to work in space vehicle design in the future as a Vehicle Integration Engineer.
I was part of the 2024 One Giant Leap Space Tour USA. Thanks to a sponsorship by Electro Optic Systems, I was thrust into the world of aerospace full of exciting and innovative people and companies.
Ever since I was 5 years old watching MythBusters with my dad on weekend mornings, I have always had a curiosity for how things work. For most of my younger schooling I had no idea where this would lead me. I spent holidays at programming bootcamps, my weekends salvaging electronics and my afternoons reading every single book I could possibly get my hands on.
The beginning of my fascination with space, and by extension, human spaceflight however is harder to pin down. I could say it was the book that I received called ‘Endurance’ by astronaut Scott Kelly, or it might be the model rockets I built and flew, and I’m sure the countless hours watching Star Trek and Star Wars certainly helped. But I’ve come to think that it was the challenge, both technical and human as well as the inspiration that drew me to it.
In 2024 I applied for sponsorship by Electro Optic Systems to go on the One Giant Leap Australia Space Tour USA and unexpectedly was one of 3 selected to receive it. This I can say for certain was the moment that set me on the path I am today. While the visits the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the Griffith Observatory satiated my hunger for brilliant machines, Space Camp itself, in the US Space and Rocket Centre, was where I realised that’s where I wanted to be. Sitting in mission control for simulated Shuttle flights as CAPCOM, behind the controls as Shuttle Pilot or Mission Specialist for the Long Duration Simulation, these experiences felt unlike anything else.
Following on from Space Camp, I attended both the 18th Australian Space Forum held in Adelaide as well as the 76th International Astronautical Congress held in Sydney. It was here where I met professionals and students alike who were as passionate as I was for space development and what Australia can do to contribute to this next step in space.
Early on in 2026, I was lucky enough to help form the Trailblazers program. Meant to support the future of all young Australians it is full of amazing, passionate, and driven people. Once you’re done reading this go see they all have to say, because I can’t do them justice. Each one of them wants to help build a future that encourages big dreams, whether that’s in the space industry or outside it.
It has always been each generation’s purpose to provide a more prosperous future for those who follow. There is no one single way this can be done.
Through the poets, artists and writers who help us find beauty in our chaotic, sometimes disheartening world. Through the advocates and activists who use their voice to change what needs changing for a fair and equitable world. Through the scientists and innovators who build big and make life easier. And through the pioneers who inspire possibility, daring each successive generation to dream beyond what came before.
Steve Jobs said, “I love and admire my species, living and dead, and I am totally dependent on them for my life and well-being.” He said this following a statement on how nothing he has done was his sole achievement. The Apollo program stands as perhaps the clearest proof of that truth. At its peak, over 400,000 people; engineers, mathematicians, welders, seamstresses, and scientists were working toward a single moment. Not one of them could have gotten there alone. If every person who contributed to the Apollo program placed a handprint on the rocket, they could cover it just about twice over. Behind that rocket, that testament to our species desire to discover, were people who showed up and did their part, most of whom will never have their name in a history book. But their hands were on that rocket. And it flew.
I don’t know yet what my handprint will be on. But I know I want to leave one. And I know that whatever we build, whatever we discover, whatever we dare to reach for, none of us will be doing it alone. That’s what the Trailblazers are, a generation moving forward together, each finding their purpose.
Your handprint is out there waiting for you.
