SaxaVord Spotlight: Get to know karen wood
What is your job title?
Deputy Facilities Manager
What does a day in your life look like?
What is your favourite thing about SaxaVord?
What 3 words would you use to describe saxavord?
I make sure that all the staff know which rooms to clean and the Chefs know how much food to cook to make sure that everyone that stays on site are comfortable. You will usually find me in the main office welcoming visitors and answering the telephone. I also make sure that all the paperwork is filled in the correct places.
I love meeting lots of different people from all over the world
Exciting, Inspiring, Family.
What does your job title mean?
I look after all the people who stay at the Spaceport
What job did you think you'd be doing when you finished school?
I wanted to be a Helicopter Winch Woman
Fun Questions
Fun Questions
What is your favourite space book, film or song?
WALLE
Who is your biggest inspiration?
My Dad
If you were going to space what 3 things would you take?
Beef Space Raiders, Nintendo Switch, Photographs of my kids
Women in Engineering: Meet the Trailblazers!
Every year on 23rd June, people around the world celebrate International Women in Engineering Day – and at Fredo News, we think that’s something worth shouting about! Engineers help design and build almost everything we rely on, from bridges and robots to spaceports and rockets. But for a long time, engineering was seen as a job just for men.
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That’s changing – and today we’re celebrating three incredible women who’ve helped change the world through engineering. Their work inspires both girls and boys to dream big, ask questions, and make things better.
Ada Lovelace – The First Computer Programmer
(1815–1852)
Ada Lovelace lived in a time when computers didn’t even exist – but that didn’t stop her from imagining them! In 1843, she worked on notes about a machine called the Analytical Engine, designed by Charles Babbage. In her notes, Ada included a step-by-step method for solving a maths problem. Today, we call that a computer program – and hers was the very first!
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Ada also believed computers could do more than just maths. She thought they could be used to make music or art too. That idea was way ahead of her time!
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There’s even a special Ada Lovelace Day each year to celebrate women in science and technology, and a computer language called Ada is named after her.
Ellen Ochoa – Astronaut and Inventor
(born 1958)
Ellen Ochoa made history in 1993 when she became the first Hispanic-American woman to go into space. She went on four Space Shuttle missions, spending nearly 1,000 hours in orbit!
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But Ellen isn’t just an astronaut – she’s also an engineer and inventor. She’s created several optical systems (technology that uses light), which have been used in space missions.
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Later, she became the Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where she helped train and guide other astronauts. She’s a true role model for anyone who wants to reach for the stars!
Abbie Hutty – Building a Rover for Mars
(born c. 1987–1990)
Abbie Hutty is a spacecraft engineer who works on the Rosalind Franklin rover, part of the European Space Agency’s mission to explore Mars.
She helps design the structure of the rover – the strong frame that holds all its scientific equipment together. That means she’s helping to build a robot that will drive across the surface of another planet!
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In 2016, Abbie became one of the youngest people ever to be named a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. She also speaks in schools and on TV to help more young people get excited about engineering and space.
Why It Matters
These women didn’t just follow instructions – they invented new ideas, led space missions, and showed the world what’s possible. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire the next generation of engineers – whatever their gender – to dream big and build the future.
Written by The Fredo Team
Sources
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Lifewire.com – Who Was Ada Lovelace?
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Britannica.com – Ada Lovelace Biography
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Computerhistory.org – Ada Lovelace: The First Computer Programmer
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Technologywales.co.uk – Ada Lovelace Day
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NASA.gov – Ellen Ochoa Biography
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Newscientist.com – How Abbie Hutty is Getting Europe’s Mars Rover Ready
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Wikipedia.org – Abbie Hutty
The LGBTQ+ Community and the Space Industry
June is Pride Month!
Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community—their history, achievements, and ongoing journey for equality. It's also a chance to reflect on progress made, raise awareness of challenges still faced, and honour the diversity that makes our world better.
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At SaxaVord Spaceport, we’re proud to work with a diverse and inclusive team. We believe space is for everyone—including our amazing LGBTQ+ colleagues.
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In this article, we’re spotlighting just a few of the inspiring LGBTQ+ people who have made a difference in the space industry, past and present.
Dr. Sally Ride (1951–2012)
Physicist | Astronaut | Author | LGBTQ+ Icon
Image Credit: NASA
Linked at bottom of the article
Sally Ride (she/her) was the first American woman in space. In 1978, she was chosen from over 8,000 applicants to join NASA—and was one of just six women selected that year. After five years of training, she flew on two missions: STS-7 and STS-41G, helping launch satellites and gather data about Earth’s climate.
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Beyond space, Ride was a passionate science educator and co-wrote six children’s books with her life partner, Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy. At the time, being openly queer could have ended her career, so she kept their relationship private. When she passed away in 2012, her family revealed the truth—making her the first known LGBTQ+ astronaut and a lasting symbol of courage and inclusion.
“Sally Ride was a physicist, educator, advocate for girls in STEM, and later recognized as a queer icon.”
— Teen Vogue
Troy Hudson
NASA Engineer | Planetary Scientist | LGBTQ+ Role Model
Image Credit: THEM
Linked at bottom of the article
Troy Hudson (he/him) is an Instrument System Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He played a major role in the InSight mission, which landed a robot on Mars to study the planet’s crust, mantle, and core.
Troy is openly gay and proudly wore a rainbow pin on the day of the InSight landing. He hopes to show young LGBTQ+ students that they belong in science too.
“While being gay has never impacted my opportunities... it is an important part of who I am. I have to actively work against its invisibility.”
— Troy Hudson, NASA
Colonel Bree Fram
Aerospace Engineer | Space Force Leader | Transgender Advocate
Image Credit: X - @BFram3
Linked at bottom of the article
Bree Fram (she/her) is an astronautical engineer, author, and a colonel in the United States Space Force. She helps plan future missions from the Pentagon and previously served 18 years in the Air Force.
She is one of the highest-ranking transgender officers in the U.S. military. Bree publicly came out in 2016—the same day a ban on transgender military service was introduced. Since then, she has become a leading voice for LGBTQ+ inclusion in defense and aerospace.
“Transgender people have always been here—we just weren’t always seen.”
— Bree Fram, breefram.com
A Shoutout to Out to Innovate
Community | Mentorship | Representation
Out to Innovate is an organisation that supports LGBTQ+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). They offer mentorship, networking, and awards to celebrate queer professionals in science—because everyone deserves to feel welcome in the lab or at mission control.
“We empower LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM through education, advocacy, and peer support.”
— Out to Innovate mission statement
So What Can We Learn This Pride Month?
Pride is more than just rainbow flags—it’s about visibility, courage, and celebration. These incredible scientists, engineers, and space leaders show that LGBTQ+ people are making history every day, on Earth and beyond.
So remember: space is for everyone. That includes you.
Written by The Fredo Team
Sources/Find out more about these incredible people
Dr Sally Ride
Troy Hudson
InSight Mission
Colonel Bree Fram
Out to Innovate
Fredo Explains
Fredo Explains
In the first episode of Fredo Explains!, Fredo the Unstronaut explores what makes a spaceport so special. From launchpads to control rooms, Fredo shows how SaxaVord Spaceport helps rockets blast off into space—and how it supports missions that do good for our planet. It’s like an airport, but for rockets! Get ready to learn, laugh, and launch with Fredo in this fun intro to the world of spaceports!
Ask an Unstronaut
Ask an Unstronaut
In the very first episode of Ask an Unstronaut, Fredo receives a brilliant question from Grace (and her sausage dog, Nova!) all about Mars missions! Grace wants to know if SaxaVord Spaceport will ever send probes to the Red Planet — and Fredo’s got the answer, along with some fun facts about rockets, satellites, and what the future might hold for spaceports like SaxaVord. Could you be the one to help launch the first Shetland mission to Mars?
Get in Touch
Want to ask an Unstronaut a question?
You will be able to send in your questions really soon! Fredo cannot wait to hear from you so keep coming up with ideas and we'll let you know when he's ready!