This article was published on April 9, 2019

TNW2019 Daily: We have an astronaut!


TNW2019 Daily: We have an astronaut!


There are only 30 days left until TNW Conference, our tech festival in Amsterdam. In exactly one month, 17,500 attendees will spend two days watching keynotes from the biggest names in tech.

Yesterday, we surpassed 300 speakers, and we’ve confirmed a really big name: André Kuipers! I’m doing something different by dedicating today’s entire newsletter to his awesomeness, because I’m kind of in awe.

HE’S AN ASTRONAUT

André Kuipers is the first Dutch astronaut to have two space missions to his name. He lived and worked on the International Space Station, serving a number of roles, including doctor, scientist, engineer, teacher, cleaner, and handyman.

Back on Earth, he dedicates his time promoting science and technology to children. His new passion project is SpaceBuzz, which calls upon his experiences in outer space to instil a love of sustainability into the next generation, together with MediaMonks.

Through virtual reality, SpaceBuzz provides a unique view of the Earth that until now, only astronauts have been able to see. It’s called the overview effect, a feeling of protectiveness some astronauts get when seeing our planet from a distance. André is using new technologies to share this experience with children, to create new ambassadors for Earth.

At TNW Conference, he’ll discuss SpaceBuzz and his journey in educating the next generation about our beautiful planet. His talk is going to be out of this world, so don’t miss it! I certainly won’t.

That concludes today’s TNW2019 Daily! Tune in tomorrow for more TNW Conference highlights, and make sure to catch up on previous editions right here.

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