Camille Naredo

Aisha Bowe talks to students of the Philippine Science High School in Quezon City and encourages them to be unrealistic, a mindset that has allowed her to reach for her own dreams despite the odds. Raphael Bosano, ABS-CBN News

Aisha Bowe talks to students of the Philippine Science High School in Quezon City and encourages them to be unrealistic, a mindset that has allowed her to reach for her own dreams despite the odds.

Article (news)

Aisha Bowe

Raphael Bosano

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755010837444viber_image_2025-08-12_22-31-45-612.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The all-female crew of Blue Origin (from left to right) Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, Gayle King and Amanda Nguyen. Handout/Aisha Bowe"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The all-female crew of Blue Origin (from left to right) Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, Gayle King and Amanda Nguyen. <em>Handout/Aisha Bowe</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- Just a few months after experiencing weightlessness in space, citizen astronaut and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe found herself walking the halls of the Philippine Science High School.</p><p>There, she spoke to wide-eyed students about how they, too, can chart their path and make an impact in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).</p><p>In April, Bowe joined an all-female crew launched into space aboard Blue Origin&#x27;s spacecraft, alongside Amanda Nguyen — the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman in space — and pop icon Katy Perry.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/15/all-female-blue-origin-crew-celebrates-making-space-after-returning-from-space-1051">READ: All-female Blue origin crew celebrates &#x27;making space&#x27; after returning from space</a></div><p>She vividly recalled her time in orbit: how the winds move, the ocean sways, and the Earth spins — each element part of a breathtaking and interconnected system. Observing the planet from that perspective, she said, only deepened her resolve to help protect it.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s impossible to return to Earth and not want to protect it. I want people to know that Earth, it&#x27;s unbelievably, unimaginably beautiful space,&quot; Bowe said. </p><p>Just as international travel is now widely accessible, Bowe believes that access to space may one day follow suit.</p><p>&quot;I think that humanity is going to leave with an enhanced, elevated perspective on why it is that we need to protect this place we call home so much.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>-- Space, food security and astronauts --</strong> </div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LIcW3ItdJTo?&amp;pp=0gcJCa0JAYcqIYzv&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Beyond her journey into orbit, Bowe is also actively contributing to scientific research. </p><p>A peer-reviewed author, she&#x27;s involved in studies on astrobotany, particularly in the genetic sequencing of crops. Her work focuses on how to grow plants efficiently even in extreme conditions to improve food security, especially in regions vulnerable to climate change.</p><p>&quot;The idea is to determine how to efficiently grow certain types of plants in order to address food insecurity here,&quot; Bowe said. </p><p>&quot;We may not have the resources that we need in our region in order to sustain the population in the future, which is why I was so excited to come here and to talk to Philsa about this, because I think there&#x27;s a lot of meaningful research that they can conduct that will help answer that question in the future.&quot;</p><p>Soon after her arrival in the Philippines, Bowe met with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) to discuss the value of homegrown space programs — and the importance of nations having their own astronauts.</p><p>Currently, PhilSA is developing the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) — the largest and most advanced Earth observation satellite ever built in the Philippines, set to launch in 2026.</p><p>This satellite aligns with Bowe&#x27;s research in its ability to observe land conditions, crop health, and damage caused by natural disasters.</p><p>&quot;Pwede niyang ma-detect iyong different stages of crops. Pwede niya rin ma-detect iyong mga pests and diseases. Kapag may dumaan na bagyo or kapag naapektuhan sila ng pagbaha, kapag nagkaroon ng tagtuyot, makikita din natin iyong extent of damages,&quot; says PhilSA Deputy Director General Dr. Gay Jane Perez. </p><p>(It can detect the different stages of crops. It can also detect pests and disease. If weather systems like typhoons pass and cause flooding, or say there is a drought, it would also be able to see the extent of damage.)</p><p>Despite being a relatively young agency, Bowe believes that the Philippines may see its first astronaut sooner than later. </p><p>&quot;I think the future is bright and I will be surprised if there isn&#x27;t one in the next two years. I actually think I met her earlier today,&quot; she said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/15/katy-perry-says-she-felt-connected-to-love-during-her-blue-origin-mission-to-space-1044">READ: Katy Perry says she felt &#x27;connected to love&#x27; during her Blue Origin mission to space</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>-- &#x27;Be unrealistic, redefine what&#x27;s possible&#x27; --</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755010878683viber_image_2025-08-12_22-29-41-462.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The all-female crew of Blue Origin (from left to right) Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, Gayle King and Amanda Nguyen. Handout/Aisha Bowe"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Aisha Bowe talks to students of the Philippine Science High School in Quezon City on August 12, 2025, and encourages them to be unrealistic, a mindset that has allowed her to reach for her own dreams despite the odds. <em>Raphael Bosano, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></strong>Even after six years at NASA, Bowe didn&#x27;t expect she&#x27;d one day go to space. She wanted to — but the path forward wasn&#x27;t always clear.</div><p>Speaking at Pisay, she urged students to &quot;be unrealistic&quot; — a mindset she says helped her rewrite her own story.</p><p>&quot;I want students to be unrealistic and to understand that the biggest and wildest dreams that they have are not only achievable, but they&#x27;re the future that this country deserves,&quot; she said.</p><p>Bowe is the first person of Bahamian descent to fly to space — something that not everyone would see as possible given that the Bahamas doesn&#x27;t have a spaceflight program of its own. </p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m changing the model. We&#x27;re changing what the future of space looks like. These students and the Philsa, especially during the Philippines Space Week, have the opportunity to do the same,&quot; said Bowe.</p><p>While her insights may fascinate the public, her impact was especially profound on the Pisay students she met. </p><p>&quot;Whether it be in climate change or disaster risk reduction or the health outcomes of the 106 million Filipinos in the nation, I think that every problem can be solved with STEM exploration of the various fields and research that can be pursued,&quot; said Shawn Amper, a grade 12 student. </p><p>Another student called her talk an &quot;eye opener.&quot;</p><p>&quot;STEM is such a huge foundation. STEM education, especially space education, is not that appreciated much in the Philippines. Honestly right now, I might be convinced to switch majors,&quot; said another student. </p><p>As space technology continues to evolve, the world will continue to see the launch of more advanced and sophisticated satellites that monitor the planet we live in. </p><p>For Bowe, the best time to invest in STEM is now. </p><p>&quot;I think the time is now for the students and the people who are at Philsa to really get involved because there&#x27;s so much you can do with climate monitoring from space that you can build robust systems to not only monitor the environment but protect it,&quot; she said.</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XBVVafn8MhA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Just as international travel is now widely accessible, citizen astronaut Aisha Bowe believes that access to space may one day follow suit.</p>

Just as international travel is now widely accessible, citizen astronaut Aisha Bowe believes that access to space may one day follow suit.

Citizen astronaut Aisha Bowe inspires Pinoy students in PH visit

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Citizen astronaut Aisha Bowe inspires Pinoy students in PH visit

Raphael Bosano,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 12, 2025 11:16 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 12, 2025 11:32 PM PHT

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Aisha Bowe

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