Elizabeth "Libby" Anne Jackson (born 18 March 1981) is a British space exploration expert who works for the UK Space Agency.

Early life and education

Libby Jackson's enthusiasm for space travel started young, when, as a seven-year-old, she wrote a Travel Guide to Mars. Aged fifteen she attende
Space School
before choosing A-Levels in Physics, Maths, Further Maths and Music. She developed an interest in human spaceflight aged seventeen, after shadowing a flight director at NASA

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late ...

. She went on to complete a BSc in physics at Imperial College London in 2002 and an MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering at

Cranfield University Cranfield University is a British postgraduate public university, public research university specialising in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics (CoA) in 1946. Through the 19 ...

in 2003.

Career

After graduating from Cranfield, Jackson worked as a graduate engineer at

EADS Astrium Astrium was an aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) that provided civil and military space systems and services from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Astrium had a turnover of €5.8 billion and 18 ...

. From 2007, Libby Jackson worked at Europe's control centre for the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...

(ISS) as a flight instructor and controller. She became director for the ISS

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (120 ...

(ESA)

Columbus Module ''Columbus'' is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station (ISS) and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency (ESA). Like the ''Harmony'' and ''Tranquility'' modules, the ''Colum ...

in 2010. Jackson joined the

UK Space Agency The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the United Kingdom's civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centr ...

in 2014 and became spokesperson for

Tim Peake Major Timothy Nigel Peake (born 7 April 1972) is a British Army Air Corps officer, European Space Agency astronaut and a former International Space Station (ISS) crew member. He is the first British ESA astronaut, the second astronaut to bea ...

's mission to the ISS. In 2016 and 2018, Jackson spoke at the National Student Space Conference, hosted by UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
UKSEDS
, the UK's national student space society. She coordinated the UK Space Agency education and outreach programme for Peake's mission. She previously managed the Human Exploration Programme at the UK Space Agency, representing the UK's interest in human spaceflight and microgravity, and is currently the Head of Space Exploration. In July 2019 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Kent and in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

was awarded an

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

"for services to the Space Sector".

Public engagement and outreach

Jackson works to improve the public perception of space science and engineering, contributing to mainstream media and speaking at large events. In 2016, Jackson ran the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...

in an astronaut costume, whilst at the same event, Tim Peake became the first male to run a marathon in space. She was part of the team awarded the

Sir Arthur Clarke Award The Sir Arthur Clarke Award is a British award given annually since 2005 in recognition of notable contributions to space exploration, particularly British achievements. Nominations for the awards are made by members of the public, with shortl ...

from the

British Interplanetary Society The British Interplanetary Society (BIS), founded in Liverpool in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest existing space advocacy organisation in the world. Its aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration. Str ...

in 2016 for the outreach activities surrounding Tim Peake's Principia Mission. Her first book, ''A Galaxy of Her Own'', was published in 2017. Her second book, ''Space Explorers'', was published in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Libby 1981 births Living people British women physicists British physicists British women engineers English engineers English aerospace engineers British space scientists Women space scientists 21st-century English women engineers English women engineers 21st-century English engineers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society