We are waiting for the first Polish Woman in Space

The Artemis II mission has come to an end - the first crewed flight to the vicinity of the Moon in over half a century. We speak with Aleksandra Rutczyńska, Senior Software Engineer at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR), one of the scientists involved in the project. Aleksandra Rutczyńska is also among the invited guests of the largest conference for women (and men) in technology in Europe - the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2026.

 

 

It’s a major milestone for me. I have to admit that since the launch of the SLS rocket, I’ve spent a lot of time following every update about the mission. I watched all the live connections from the capsule, observed what the astronauts were doing, and even tried to spot our detectors in photos and videos shared online. I often send my sensors into space, but a human journey toward the Moon after more than 50 years truly captures the imagination.

I managed to locate all but one. Before the mission, NASA informed us where our detectors would be installed, but that still didn’t help me find the last one in the images. One of them, however, appeared in the globally circulated photograph titled “Goodnight Moon,” taken just before the crew began orbiting the Moon.

The goal of our experiment is to precisely measure the radiation environment throughout the entire mission. If we are serious about human space exploration, we must consider three major limiting factors: cosmic radiation, microgravity, and the psychological challenges of isolation and confinement in small spaces. At present, the greatest constraint is cosmic radiation. On Earth, we are well protected - radiation does reach us, but only in small doses, thanks to the magnetosphere, which acts like a protective “cocoon.” However, once we embark on deep space missions, we lose that protection, and radiation levels increase dramatically. Inside the Orion capsule, radiation exposure is about 450 times higher than on Earth.

…we will be able to determine, for example, how to design spacecraft more effectively -what shielding works well and what doesn’t. That’s why detectors are placed in different parts of the capsule: to test how radiation is distributed across various sections of the spacecraft and how it changes over time during the mission. The sensors themselves do not provide protection, but they can warn astronauts about high solar activity, allowing them to take precautions - for instance, by moving into designated shelter areas within the Orion capsule or on the International Space Station.

Our institute collaborates with NASA, and during the previous Artemis I mission, we also prepared a similar experiment. Artemis I, however, was uncrewed. At that time, we sent two identical mannequins into space - one equipped with a special vest designed to protect against radiation. Both mannequins were filled with thousands of detectors: 12,000 passive detectors and 16 active ones. We studied how effective the vest was, and we also conducted measurements inside the spacecraft to assess which areas offered better radiation shielding and how this changed depending on the flight trajectory. I have also worked on projects for satellites in low Earth orbit and on the International Space Station.

…analysis of the results and preparation for future missions.

I studied at the Warsaw University of Technology, and I’m trained as an electronics engineer, specializing in electronics and medical informatics. But I’ve always been fascinated by space - my dream was always to go to space myself. I even applied to the European Space Agency’s astronaut corps, although another Pole - Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was ultimately selected. After graduating, I joined the National Centre for Nuclear Research, which collaborated with a Swiss institute working on space projects. That’s where my space career began - starting with the POLAR project. When the opportunity came to move to Switzerland and take part in other space experiments, I took it. I’ve been doing this for 15 years now. So even though I haven’t fulfilled my dream of flying into space, through my involvement in these experiments, I feel as if I am part of many missions beyond Earth. My current work, at the intersection of electronics, physics, and space medicine, is exactly what suits me.

It makes the projects even more interesting. But interdisciplinarity is actually a defining feature of most space projects. It broadens your perspective enormously. My work is not just about electronics - it involves understanding aspects of biology, physiology, and psychology, and constantly learning. This job requires me to be able to respond to questions that go far beyond a single discipline.

…yes, and the “evidence” was supposedly a jar of mustard attached to a table with Velcro (laughs).

It’s a serious issue. Scientific knowledge often loses to emotions and a general distrust of institutions, combined with the feeling among conspiracy theorists that they possess hidden knowledge. On one side, we have myths and fabricated stories; on the other, there’s a perception that scientific progress itself is somehow fictional. I’m still surprised how often I encounter such opinions - even among well-educated people. Questions like “If traveling to the Moon is possible, why haven’t we been there in the last 50 years?” or “Who filmed Armstrong stepping onto the Moon?” come up frequently. As scientists and engineers, all we can do is keep explaining patiently and try to guide people back to a fact-based understanding.

Exactly. Negative narratives spread more easily online, making it simpler for people to find like-minded groups and reinforce their beliefs.

Yes. We run numerous educational programs for children and young people. On our campus, we have the DLR School Lab - a dedicated space where entire school groups can conduct experiments, attend lectures, and visit research institutes to see our work firsthand. We also have a special bus that travels across Germany, offering children a virtual journey into space, where they “meet” German astronauts Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer. Significant resources are invested in science communication and education from an early age. I really appreciate this consistent approach in Germany.

That’s true, although I know of another Polish woman working on Artemis II through ESA - Dr. Anna Fogtman, who also deals with ionizing radiation, but from an operational perspective.

I’ve looked at the statistics - currently, women make up about 20% in Europe and slightly more, around 30%, at NASA. In my institute, I’m the only woman in the engineering and physics division, while in the biological and medical section, there are many women. We are still waiting for the first Polish woman in space.

I’ve grown used to it. Even in school, I was often the only girl - for example, I was the only one in my high school taking the final physics exam. I never really questioned whether being in such a minority would hold me back. My interests and dreams have always mattered most. I do hope that initiatives like Dziewczyny na Politechniki! have already started changing this, and that the trend will continue in the right direction.

What matters most is that girls are not discouraged from pursuing their interests. Every girl or woman who wants to work in this field should never encounter anyone who tries to steer her away from that path.

I’ve met many inspiring and motivating people. Maria Skłodowska-Curie was certainly a major influence - an extraordinary pioneer and two-time Nobel Prize winner who opened doors for women in science and created real opportunities for growth in her laboratory. In high school, my physics teacher was also a strong influence. She was a female physicist, which was already rare, and she was passionate about astronomy. Together with her husband, she organized unforgettable night sky observation sessions for us. That was incredibly inspiring.

A solid foundation in mathematics and physics is crucial. In terms of character: perseverance, self-discipline, a drive for continuous improvement, and the ability to collaborate and adapt. But above all, passion - it provides the energy to commit the time and effort this work demands.

Space missions literally expand our horizons. They enable extraordinary scientific discoveries, and technologies developed for space exploration often find applications back on Earth. It’s deeply inspiring. For me, this passion is rooted in a lifelong dream of exploring space.

My work requires me to constantly develop new dreams. At one point, my dream was to take part in a crewed NASA mission to the Moon - and that has come true. Another dream would be to be part of a mission in which humans land again on the Moon or on Mars. I hope that will happen as well. But when it comes to fulfilling dreams, I agree with Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, who once said that dreams don’t come true - you make them come true. That sense of agency is crucial. We don’t have to wait - we need to take matters into our own hands and pursue what we set out to achieve. My message to all girls would be: take action. Look for opportunities, for example, at events like the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit, where you can meet people, find inspiration, and think more boldly about your future path.