More Inbred Space Advocate Choir Practice
Space Access ’16 Conference Information
“Space Access ’16 is Space Access Society’s twenty-third annual conference on the business, technology, and politics of radically cheaper access to space, this year with a strong sub-focus on policy decisions and technology directions needed for Beyond Low Orbit: The Next Step Out.”
Keith’s note: Unless I have made an error not a single speaker at the upcoming Space Access Society’s event is female. It was like this last year too, etc. etc. Yet another space advocate meeting where the speaker demographics simply do not reflect reality and are seemingly stuck in another era. Hardly a way to address topics that affect future generations.
Keith’s update: As expected, I made a mistake. One of the speakers in 2016 is female and two in 2015 were female – on agendas with over two dozen speakers. Like I said ‘unless I have made an error’. My point still stands. These agendas are totally skewed disproportionately toward males.
Wow, I made a mistake. One of the speakers is female. One. Like I said “unless I have made an error”. Yet she’s the only female speaker, correct? My point still stands.
You clearly missed my caveat, and my update. As for making further mistakes, how can I know what is on future agendas without seeing them? My comments specifically refer to the agenda (revised one BTW) that I linked to. Note that I linked to last year’s final agenda too – and as best as I can tell, there are no female speakers on it.
Oh gosh you are right – 2015 had ONE female speaker too. ONE. My point still stands – this is a male dominated agenda. I am not apologizing to anyone. Have a nice day.
Keith, you just don’t get it. They have a woman or two! That clearly is enough to represent that 51% of the species!
Wow – one woman in 2016 and two in 2015 – on agendas with more than two dozen speakers – all male. My point still stands – inbred. As for attending, I can’t attend.
Wow, Keith sure can dish out criticism, but not take it. Sometimes you are wrong, accept it like a man instead going on these childish “oh gosh” tirades.
Right. And I allow your snarky comments – comments made by hiding behind a fake name.
You can win this one on the facts, Keith; until we see half of the speakers women, the battle goes on.
The “fake name” thing is tiresome.
Everybody knows why handles are used. Whether or not each handle-user actually fears reprisal is a private issue. But without the participation of NASA people- anonymous or not- this site loses a lot of appeal.
It may be tiresome but its true. There’s lots of puffed up chests and bravado behind these anonymous comments. But if people’s real identities (such as you and I use) we’re used and they had to stand behind what they’ve said I’ll bet a lot of people would behave differently.
Jeff’s got a point here. There are many women in the space community who are achieving and contributing to their organisations and yet a paltry couple or so are presenting.
Seems pretty skewed to me. As an example, check out SpaceX launch broadcasts. Seems like a few there could contribute if asked.
On the other hand, it’s not like the space industry is alone in this respect.
Cheers
Neil (so as not to offend Jeff by hiding, but then, I am an accountant in Oz so I’m not really hiding 🙂 )
Keith – you know, I’d utterly forgotten [DELETED] when going over how the likely available speakers might fit this year’s program? Very kind of you to cover for me there!
But seriously… Yes, it is a bit of a [DELETED] so far, isn’t it. Alas, that’s a characteristic of our industry in general – less so with every year that passes, fortunately. I’m greatly encouraged by the growing balance in the space-interested students we see every year. Ten or twenty years from now, this will all be far less of an issue.
For now though, a very few “no, maybe next year” responses (not to mention one or two “we’re still considering”s – this agenda is, as someone pointed out, a work in progress) can have the unfortunate result you point out.
Mind, you are making unwarranted assumptions about the gender of the students presenting their G-Lab design study results. Not to mention the multiple student project presenters we hosted last year (and the ones we’re still talking to about presenting this year.)
All that aside, to the kind gentleman who suggested we invite some of the very competent young women he’s seen in SpaceX mission video coverage, alas, SpaceX (like most companies) tends to insist that they pick who represents them in public. (Not that we’d argue with SpaceX’s likely choice if they do once again let us persuade them to send someone.)
I had to edit out several juvenile phrases and banned words that are simply unacceptable on this website. Please do not do that again. As for making assumptions about student presenters I said/did no such thing. I simply responded to the agenda – and the speakers it mentions – the agenda that was posted. My point still stands.
Tsk. That first paragraph was a lot funnier my way. Poking fun at you, yes, but then you had just called the conference I spend a good part of each year working on “More Inbred Space Advocate Choir Practice”.
The second [deleted] was just a mild Brit slang phrase for a mostly-male lineup. I’ve heard it on a BBC show, so it can’t be that bad.
Whatever. It’s your website. Enjoy!
That’s because it is “More Inbred Space Advocate Choir Practice”. You can’t even be bothered to stream it.
Well, I scrolled through a couple months of Nasawatch and if I am not mistaken could not find even a single story posted by a woman. Not one. At least Space Access has one or two at times. And I don’t want to hear any of your petty sexist excuses about how “but this is my blog” and “there’s only one poster” and “no woman ever asked to post”. Nasawatch simply does not reflect reality and is seemingly stuck in another era.
Well “Pantagruel ” when posters use fake names like yours its hard to determine gender, now isn’t it?