HBK CHAT VOL: 22 ISS 1

International Space News (ISN)

HBK CHAT

“I am very protective over my work because I am meticulous. I put a lot of time and effort into what I do”.

promotion of the SpaceOps conference; abstract and manuscript management; coordination of online repository for paper publishing and archiving; and other related activities. Asked about how she’s handling the additional tasks that comes with the secretariat responsibilities, Petrus admits that it has been overwhelming. “Though I am allowed to share some of my responsibilities with other colleagues, it hasn’t been easy for me. I am very protective over my work because I am meticulous. I put a lot of time and effort into what I do. So, for me to hand over some of my work will take some time. I know this is not always a good thing, but I believe I will get better with time.” SpaceOps has been hosting biennial conferences since 1990. SANSA started participating in SpaceOps

in 2002 and has benefited from the international exposure this conference affords. For Petrus, the benefits of being actively involved behind the SpaceOps scenes are exposure to the international space industry, working with industry leaders such as NASA as well as the growth opportunities and networks it can create. “I am taking things step by step. Once I get through it, it will sink in. I am quite excited about it. I don’t consider myself ingenious. I’ve always had to work very hard to learn, understand and run with things. And because my career at SANSA is coming to an end very soon, I feel like this new role could be a steppingstone to a plan B in my retirement. I think I will die very quickly if I retire with no plan on how I will spend my days. I still have a lot of life left in me”, concludes Petrus.

ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet - Dubai_at_night_pillars

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