{"id":238587,"date":"2023-10-13T16:11:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T16:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/?p=238587"},"modified":"2023-10-13T16:11:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T16:11:26","slug":"miss-england-star-turned-rocket-scientist-lands-nasa-job-against-the-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/lifestyle\/miss-england-star-turned-rocket-scientist-lands-nasa-job-against-the-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Miss England star turned rocket scientist lands NASA job \u2013 against the odds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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    A Miss England model has landed a major role with NASA \u2013 taking one step closer to fulfilling her dream of becoming an astronaut.<\/p>\n

    Jessica Gagen, 27, has already graduated as a rocket scientist from Liverpool University. Now, she's set to take one giant leap towards her dream career.<\/p>\n

    The beauty queen, who hails from Skelmersdale, Lancs., will be one of the keynote speakers at a conference organised by the International Space Station later this month. She'll also get a VIP tour of the Kennedy Space Centre and help count down the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9. <\/p>\n

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    The rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. "This trip is everything an aerospace engineer could have ever dreamed of, I feel incredibly blessed," said Jessica.<\/p>\n

    She added: "Having been one of only a handful of girls studying aerospace engineering at my university, I made it my mission to promote how exciting the sector is and diminish stereotypes surrounding what engineers do – and look like, which subsequently saw me scouted for Miss England – the rest is history."<\/p>\n

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    Jessica became the first redhead winner of the prestigious beauty pageant last October and is now one of the favourites to win Miss World.<\/p>\n

    She said: "Every contestant at Miss World has a beauty with a purpose project which she aims to use her platform to promote.<\/p>\n

    "Mine is called The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) project – I'm passionate about educating the next generation about the different types of engineering, the different industries STEM subjects can lead to and the skills engineering can equip candidates with.<\/p>\n

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    "In the future I'd love to be able to inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers through presenting educational TV documentaries.<\/p>\n

    "Aside from this I'm super interested starting a career concerning all things new technology – and would jump at the chance to go to space if offered the opportunity."<\/p>\n

    Jessica will be guest of honour at the ASCEND Space Conference being held in Las Vegas on October 23-25.<\/p>\n

    After delivering her speech entitled, "Engaging the Public through the International Space Station" she will fly to Orlando, Florida, to promote space exploration.<\/p>\n

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    She will work alongside Boeing's social media team on the space coast to create content aimed to market how STEM subjects are involved in the aerospace industry.<\/p>\n

    While she's there, she will tour the Kennedy Space Centre and watch the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. Jessica will compete in the 71st Miss World in Mumbai, India, on December 9.<\/p>\n

    * This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up Daily Star's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to starletters@dailystar.co.uk <\/b><\/p>\n