Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – 15-year-old Kaat DeGros from Hasselt designed a sustainable Mars base, gained recognition from Oxford Academy of Excellence, interned in Aerospace Engineering, and participates in Cosmic Girls to pursue space careers.
As VRT News reported, Kaat DeGros from Hasselt, 15 years old, has designed her own research base for Mars. Her project focuses on solving the challenges of living on the planet. She studied radiation levels, oxygen supply, and food production. Kaat included a large greenhouse in her design. Plants in the greenhouse would create oxygen and provide food for the crew. She wanted to make sure people could live safely on Mars.
“My goal is to turn people into multiplanetary beings,”
says Kaat passionately.
“I even created a 3D model of it. On such a base, a small group of experts could research Mars. Although the first step, of course, remains the moon.”
“It’s a dream come true. It gives me hope that I can one day work as an astronaut or astrophysicist.”
Kaat DeGros (15), participant Cosmic Girls
What makes Hasselt’s 15-Year-Old Kaat DeGros a rising star in space?
Her project received recognition from the Oxford Academy of Excellence. The Academy praised her design as an outstanding example of young talent. Kaat attends Kindsheid Jesu school in Hasselt and is also doing an internship in Aerospace Engineering at the Academy.
“They just finished a competition where six girls–one from each continent-are being trained in rocket science and astronaut training,
Kaat says enthusiastically.
“I’m really curious about the results. Hopefully, I’ll hear something around Christmas.”
For Kaat, the program is more than just learning.
“It’s a dream come true. It gives me hope that I can one day work as an astronaut or an astrophysicist,”
she says.
According to an analysis by the UN SpaceWomen project, only 11% of astronauts are women worldwide. Furthermore, the report states that public space agencies employ women 30% of the time. The statistics decrease to 24% of management positions, 21% in leadership, and 19% of board roles.
To tackle the gender imbalance and ‘lass’ in the workforce pipeline, the Cosmic Girls program was established in 2023 to engage, inspire and educate young women aged 14-19 to pursue careers in space and related fields.
