If we want to reach for the stars, then it will be our best and brightest – not virtue signalling – that gets us there. It’s not rocket science.

Or is it? Those working at Monash University’s recently launched National Indigenous Space Academy might disagree. Lauded as a world first, the program paves the way for First Nations STEM students to intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the United States.

The five successful Indigenous applicants start with a Space Boot Camp run by the Faculty of IT exploring astrophysics, planetary science, and engineering.