Ground Control to Madame Mars: The Future of Diversity in Space

In celebration of this year’s Women’s History Month, the U.S. Department of State, American Film Showcase, the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt and DAZ Stuttgart proudly present the exclusive screening of the documentary film Madame Mars: Women and the Quest for Worlds Beyond (32 min) followed by an online discussion with the filmmaker Jan Millsapps and the German astrophysicists Dr. Suzanna Randall.
The documentary is part of a comprehensive project that reframes the story of space exploration as a feminist issue, connecting the original space age that denied opportunities to women, to current Mars initiatives that still lack a full commitment to diversity. How can we ensure that women play integrated roles as high-profile astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts in current and future space exploration efforts worldwide?
Please join us for a riveting conversation on diversity and the role of women in the past and future of space exploration. The invited speakers share their insights into challenges women continue to face on their journey to space and how they wish to succeed in empowering girls and young women to pursue an education and career in STEM fields and receive training as astronauts and aeronautical engineers.

With: Jan Millsapps; Dr. Suzanna Randall
Moderated by: Anna Green

Organized by: U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt and Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum James-F.-Byrnes-Institut e.V. Stuttgart
Presented by: U.S. Department of State, American Film Showcase
In cooperation with: Carl-Zeiss-Planetarium Stuttgart, Atlantische Akademie Rheinland-Pfalz e.V., DAI Heidelberg, Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Saarland e.V., and Deutsch-Amerikanisches-Institut Tübingen

Language: English

Registration film: Please register here for the film
Registration panel: Please register here for the panel discussion

Jan Millsapps

The director Jan Millsapps, Professor Emeritus of Cinema at San Francisco State University, is a veteran filmmaker, a pioneering figure in the new media movement, an early web innovator, and a versatile and accomplished writer. She has produced films, videos, and interactive media on subjects ranging from domestic violence to global terrorism, has been a featured blogger for Apple, Huffington Post and Thrive Global, and has written two space-themed novels. Millsapps has spoken about the need for diversity in space at several Mars Society Conventions, the United Nations in New York, and the SETI Institute. She is a founding member of the global Space for Women support and advocacy network.

Dr. Suzanna Randall

Dr. Suzanna Randall is an astrophysicist and works for the European Southern Observatory in Garching near Munich. She is concerned with the evolution of stars and also works for the ALMA telescope project in Chile. Dr. Randall studied astronomy at the University of London and has a doctorate in astrophysics at the University of Montreal in Canada. She is currently undergoing training to become the first female German astronaut with the support of the private foundation “Die Astronautin”. Since September 2020, she co-moderates the show “Terra x Lesch & Co” on ZDF’s Youtube channel, presenting different scientific subjects with Harald Lesch. The focus is on showing women in particular that the natural sciences – and even the path to space – do not have to be the exclusive domain of men.

Anna Green

Anna Green is the Director of INTENSE and Exhibits at the Berlin Planetarium Foundation. As a STEMinista, she is passionate about advancing young women in space science. Before working for the Berlin Planetarium Foundation, Anna Green was the Planetarium Manager at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science Center in Saint Louis, MO.