Inspiring the Artemis Generation
By Carmen Gloria Pérez
We live in a new era of space
exploration and discovery in an
ever-changing world. This is
About the Author
the Ar
the Artemis Generation, in which the possibilities of
what we create and where we go are infinite— just
like our Universe. Jobs and industries are being
disrupted and replaced by technology, robotics,
artificial intelligence (AI), and other scientific
developments. According to the World Economic
Forum, 65 percent of children will end up working in
jobs that don’t even exist yet. Additionally, STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs
are growing at a faster pace than non-STEM jobs.
With the Artemis (Moon to Mars) program,
NASA will land the first woman and next man on the
Moon, with plans to explore the Moon and beyond
with commercial and international partners.
Eventually, what is learned at the Moon will pave
the way for human exploration of Mars. Many
technologies we use today, such as our cell phone
cameras, CAT scans, water purification systems, and
even laptops, are available because of space travel.
When I started thinking about writing and
illustrating children’s books, my urge was to inspire
kids to learn about space in a fun and positive way,
to want to be a part of a great future, and to expand
their curiosity. With my most recent book The Moon
Show, our Moon introduces other moons from our
solar system, incorporating a few empowering
messages. There are about 170 moons in our solar
system and The Moon Show is the first book to ever
showcase other moons. Perhaps it will be on a moon
and not a planet that we find alien life someday, as
some of these moons have elements necessary for
life.
I have received emails from parents saying how
much they’ve learned about astronomy while
reading these books to their children, and that
means a lot to me. The very first book in the series,
Thank You Mercury! was included in the Summer
of Space program at the Space Science Institute. I
was also told that their space plasma physicists
(“space weather folks”) were so happy someone
made a book about their content area! The book
went on to be included in the “Best Space Books of
2019” list by Book Authority. I am excited to be
Carmen Gloria Pérez is a U.S. Army Veteran, served six
years active duty, and is a children's book author and
illustrator of books on astronomy. “The Moon Show” is the
third book in her Kid Astronomy series. The previous two
books of the series have received some great reviews, and the
debut book, Thank You Mercury! made the Best New Space
Books 2019 list by Book Authority. For more information visit
http://www.carmengloria.net.
launching all three books of the series in Spanish
early next year. One of my missions is to encourage
kids to believe in something bigger than just their
immediate surroundings, creating a hunger for
knowledge and a desire to be a part of our future in
space. Who knows? Some of these kids could end
up solving the environmental crisis and curing
diseases.
Humans are naturally curious, and ours is not
the first period of accelerated scientific exploration.
In the earlier Age of Discovery—from the 15th to
the 17th centuries—we ventured off into the
unknown, even when many thought it was
impossible and believed the world was flat.
Explorers dared anyway, discovering and mapping
the Earth we live on today. This new age of space
exploration will expand our knowledge beyond our
planet, our solar system, and our galaxy. Coming
advances may even provide answers to the ultimate
human question: “Why and how are we here?”
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42 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 25, No. 6, 2019
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