“Although I started my career as a dancer, I missed the use of language and text. For this reason I also started acting and writing myself. I gradually developed my first solo performance. While performing this I discovered that standing alone in front of an audience, where those people actually become my dialogue partner, is a very special thing to do.
Around the same time, I saw a documentary about the space shuttle Challenger and the seven astronauts involved. Coincidentally, one of them was also named Judy, which immediately made the subject click again for me. I have always been fascinated by space, ever since I was young. I gave presentations about it at school, including slides and music by Brian Eno. It is an inexhaustible subject. From the 1960s, when the first trips to the moon were made, to today with Blue Origin, SpaceX and commercial space travel. You can call it a second wave of interest for space exploration. I’m looking forward to figuring out who will be the first woman on the moon!
Which brings us back to Judy Resnik. That was the fourth woman in space. She was selected after an open call from NASA, which was looking for people to crew the first reusable spacecraft. A large national campaign ultimately resulted in 8,000 registrations. From this, 35 participants were chosen. Six of them were women. This was unique at the time, because women often did not progress beyond the audit offices.
Resnik was a hard worker, and she chose that over the publicity that came her way. Interviews were about her appearance, not her work or motivation. That inspired me enormously, because she always had a good answer ready without starting a discussion or being tempted to show defense. This made her and her work normal: “Of course I can be an astronaut.”
Sexism is still an issue today. Power structures still exist, and women are still not always considered as capable as their male colleagues. That’s also why I delved into her life. Resnik didn’t want to be a role model at all, but she became one, at least for me. I regularly think in situations that I find difficult: «What would Judy do?» Thanks to my research and the performance, I was able to convince myself to try things I wouldn’t otherwise do, such as experiencing a G-force centrifuge. My answer to the question «would you like to go into space yourself?» changes. Previously a no, now a serious consideration.
Judy Resnik’s life ended abruptly in 1986, during her second space journey. Millions of people watched on television and saw this tragedy unfold. I hope to continue her legacy in my own way and normalize the image of a female astronaut. Hopefully I can also inspire others about the subject.”
You’re too cute to be an astronaut will tour through The Netherlands starting in September 2024. Check out cuteastronaut.com for tour dates and tickets. This article was published in Volksnews #19, released in April 2024.
Picture of Judy by Dave Pelham.
