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The city of Brownsville held its second annual Space Fest, and С����Ƶ joined the celebration by hosting the Brownsville Space Symposium at its SET-B Lecture Hall on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

Designed primarily for local STEM students, the symposium brought together a unique mix of space engineering professionals and enthusiasts, all eager to share their experiences, inspirations, and outlooks on the ever-expanding world of space exploration.

Gilberto Salinas, CEO of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC), interviewed Norman Garcia, executive director of the Texas Space Commission. They discussed the evolving nature of space-related careers, how the industry’s continued development is expected to create more opportunities right here in the Rio Grande Valley, and what kind of success they want to see.

“Success looks like more university degrees, technical certificates, companies across the state, and a more robust supply chain throughout the region,” said Garcia. “At the end of the day, we want to be the envy of the country and help others understand that Texas is the epicenter of the next generation of space exploration and flight.

GBIC Director of Marketing and Communications Marcela Saenz then took the stage to serve as moderator for Q&A sessions with panelists Jesus Charles, director of spacecraft operations at Firefly Aerospace, and Ivan Rodriguez, a fluid systems engineer at SpaceX, who offered personal insight into their career paths. Both credited their success to persistent effort, working their way up from humble beginnings and eventually into the positions they occupy today. In addition to telling their stories, they also dispensed advice to students in attendance who may wish to pursue their own interests in space technology and engineering.

“Space problems are still Earth problems,” said Rodriguez. “Know how basic hardware works because if there’s a mechanical problem you could solve here on earth, there’s a chance you’d be able to solve that same problem on the moon or Mars.”

The event’s keynote speaker, Tim Dodd, better known to millions online as the Everyday Astronaut, is a renowned science communicator whose YouTube channel, Everyday Astronaut, boasts nearly 2 million subscribers. Through detailed explainers, live rocket launch coverage, and interviews with key industry figures, Dodd has become one of the most influential public educators in the spaceflight community. His ability to break down complex aerospace concepts into engaging, accessible content has earned him a global following and made him a major advocate for space literacy across all ages.

Dodd’s presentation focused on the various logistical complexities of sending rockets to Mars. He presented it in his signature style of fusing scientific facts with an entertaining and easily digestible delivery.

“When we talk about getting to Mars, there are three big problems in the way: it’s far, uninhabitable, and expensive,” Dodd began before launching into detailed explanations of the deeper logistical issues each problem poses. However, after bringing everything into perspective, he wrapped up on a hopeful note. “So it all begs the question of why go through all of this effort to get to Mars. I think it’s a chance to problem-solve to make life better here. By learning how to solve the insane logistical problems inherent with getting to Mars, the technology and methods we develop along the way can be turned around and used to solve problems here on earth.”