Fifty-eight years after mankind first orbit the moon, the crew of Artemis II has reproduced the feat.

With the crew’s safe return, they have brought back more than just telemetry. The crew have returned with a perspective shift that humanity desperately needs.

As they looked down at a borderless, fragile Earth, they experienced the “Overview Effect” – a realisation of unity that stands in stark contrast to the tribalism we see daily on our feeds.

It is a scene straight out of The Expanse. Humanity is reaching for the stars, yet we remain plagued by the same “Inner” problems: division, misinformation, and a technological pace that’s outstripping our ability to govern it.

Kate Ashmor, Chair of the Tom Ashmor Foundation, argues that the gap between our space-age ambitions and our ground-level education is widening.

The Humanity Problem: Breaking Outdated Paradigms

While the astronauts saw a planet without lines, Ashmor points out that back here on the ground, the view is much more fractured.

"We are living through a period defined by division.
Geopolitical tensions are rising...
Technological innovation is accelerating at a pace that
outstrips our ability to fully understand its consequences."

The issue isn’t just the tech; it’s the people. We are building advanced systems like AI and biotechnology using outdated thinking. Ashmor suggests that we are preparing the next generation using “paradigms from a world that no longer exists.”

Curiosity: The Critical OS for a STEM-Dependent Future

At DRN, we often talk about specs and hardware, but Ashmor is focused on the “human OS.” She posits that curiosity is the foundational capability required to navigate a STEM-dependent future.

"At the Tom Ashmor Foundation, we see curiosity as the foundation for capability
in a complex world... It drives innovation, but also responsibility - the ability
to ask not just 'can we?' but 'should we?'"

 

The Primary School Frontier: Igniting the Spark Early

The most provocative part of Ashmor’s argument is where the work needs to begin. It’s not in universities or high-end labs, but in the primary school classroom. She warns that treating STEM as a “niche” interest rather than an essential foundation is a recipe for obsolescence.

“If we want the next generation of Australians to lead and thrive in a STEM-dependent world, we must start to equip them earlier, at primary school level… One day, someone currently sitting in an Australian public primary classroom will look back at Earth from Space.”

The DRN Bottom Line: STEM is the Airlock to the Future

If we want the future leaders of the “Artemis generation” to be ready for the responsibility of a borderless world, the spark needs to be ignited now. World-class primary STEM education isn’t an elective; it’s the airlock between our current struggles and a successful future among the stars.