Article Main Body

Jessica Miller with her Space badge

Image Credit: S Kanani

The RAS has invested in a new Brownie badge about space – find out what one Brownie thinks about it.

Many people bitten by the space bug start their interests young – and what better way to encourage them to develop that interest than a badge to recognise their efforts. Sheila Kanani asked one Brownie who has taken the badge what she thinks about it. The news is good: Jessica loved it! "I thought earning a space badge would be awesome," she said. "I liked learning about space because of all the colours in the galaxies and the planets." She also enjoyed a trip to a planetarium and, especially, finding out about Mars and the robots exploring its surface.  

The RAS and Girlguiding developed the new Space Interest Badge, with support from the UK Space Agency, to encourage girls to find out about new areas, such as space. There's a collector's urge to try all sorts of badges – well displayed by Jessica's assortment – and the hope is that the experience of earning the badge stays with the girls who get involved. The project is part of the RAS200 outreach programme, celebrating the bicentenary of the RAS by encouraging more interest in astronomy and geophysics. As far as Jessica is concerned, it is already working: "I would now really like to learn more about space at school because it’s really interesting!”