Orbost Community College primary school students had a lot of questions for former NASA astronaut and CIA intelligence officer Dr Jeanette Epps when she visited the school last week.
And while some questions you might expect from a group of primary school learners like, ‘what did you eat in space?’ others were more unexpected.
Grade two student Raven Stanaway asked, ‘have you seen the biggest black hole in space?’
Dr Epps’ stop in East Gippsland was part of her Australian visit, which also included a keynote speech at the Future Ready – Driving Rural and Regional Health Forward conference, hosted by the Alliance of Rural and Regional Community Health (ARRCH) in Ballarat.
Gippsland Lakes Complete Health (GLCH) is a member of the alliance, which advocates for new funding models to support community health in Victoria.
Dr Epps’ presentation was a coup for ARRCH and came about through a personal connection with GLCH chief executive officer Anne-Maree Kaser.
“These organisations are not just delivering care; they are designing the future of rural and regional health. Their ability to innovate, collaborate and serve communities across vast geographies is exactly the kind of leadership complex systems demand,” Dr Epps said.
NASA selected Dr Epps as an astronaut in 2009. She served in the ISS Operations Branch, working on issues in support of space station crews and launched to the International Space Station on March 3, 2024, on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission.
She retired from NASA in May 2025, after nearly 16 years of service with the agency.
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During her time in East Gippsland she enjoyed visiting locations including Salmon Rocks at Cape Conran, Raymond Island and Lake Tyers Beach.
Across both her conference keynote and school visit, Dr Epps spoke about leadership, resilience, teamwork and the power of curiosity and lifelong learning, with a focus on encouraging interest in STEM fields.
“Every team I’ve been on has been just a group of people with different backgrounds, but we come together and we rally around our mission, whatever the mission is in that moment,” she said.
“It could be from living underwater, simulating what we would do going to an asteroid, or even living in a cave and simulating what we would do if we went to another planet. Teamwork is the foundation of being an astronaut, but also of being a good member of the community as well.”
She encouraged students to work hard and work together, the qualities she said, “win the day every time,” whether in space or in their own community.
