Elizabeth "Libby" Anne JacksonOBEFRAeS (born 18 March 1981)[1] 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.[2] Aged fifteen she attended Space School, before choosing A-Levels in Physics, Maths, Further Maths and Music.[3][4] She developed an interest in human spaceflight aged seventeen, after shadowing a flight director at NASA Johnson Space Center.[5] 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 in 2003.[6][5]
Career
After graduating from Cranfield, Jackson worked as a graduate engineer at EADS Astrium.[7] From 2007, Libby Jackson worked at Europe's control centre for the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight instructor and controller.[8] She became director for the ISS European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus Module in 2010.[9] Jackson joined the UK Space Agency in 2014 and became spokesperson for Tim Peake's mission to the ISS.[10] 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.[11] She coordinated the UK Space Agency education and outreach programme for Peake's mission.[9][12] She previously managed the Human Exploration Programme at the UK Space Agency, representing the UK's interest in human spaceflight and microgravity,[13][14] and is currently the Head of Space Exploration.[15]
Jackson works to improve the public perception of space science and engineering, contributing to mainstream media and speaking at large events.[18][19][20][21][22][23] In 2016, Jackson ran the London Marathon in an astronaut costume, whilst at the same event, Tim Peake became the first male to run a marathon in space.[24] She was part of the team awarded the Sir Arthur Clarke Award from the British Interplanetary Society in 2016 for the outreach activities surrounding Tim Peake's Principia Mission.[25][26] Her first book, A Galaxy of Her Own, was published in 2017.[27] Her second book, Space Explorers, was published in 2020.[28]
^"Libby Jackson". www.destinationspace.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
^Libby, Jackson (16 November 2017). A galaxy of her own : amazing stories of women in space. London. ISBN978-1473553262. OCLC1009335446.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
