Susan Roy
“Girls should be taking up MORE space! I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to give a young girl an experience which she otherwise would not have. It will expand her perspective and open her eyes to remarkable possibilities.”
Why are you supporting Girls Taking Up Space?
Girls should be taking up MORE space! I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to give a young girl an experience which she otherwise would not have. It will expand her perspective and open her eyes to remarkable possibilities. Ideally, it will change her life.
How would someone describe you?
I’m a person who pursues her passions, which often turn into obsessions. I’ve always been obsessed with space travel. I went to U.S. Space Camp in the 1980s, during one of the first sessions offered to adults, and wrote about it for Savvy magazine. I’ve witnessed a Shuttle launch. Five years ago I went to NASA’s Johnson Space Center where I visited Mission Control and sat in Gene Kranz’s chair. That (metaphorically) launched me into my pursuit of all things space, including taking a Zero-G flight.
Of what contribution or achievement are you most proud?
Earning my master’s degree in architectural history from Columbia University, and publishing a book based on my thesis about family fallout shelters during the Cold War (“Bomboozled: How the U.S. Government Misled Itself and Its People into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack”).
Who has influenced you?
Rusty Schweickart, the Apollo 9 astronaut who got the rare opportunity to spend five minutes outside his spacecraft with no tasks to accomplish. He chose to absorb everything he could, and years later gave a phenomenally touching, inspiring and profound talk about his experience. It’s called “No Frames, No Boundaries” and you can find it at rustyschweickart.com. It’s a beautiful description of the cosmic perspective. The lesson: Keep looking up!
What is surprising about you?
I’ve spent twenty-five years in New York working as a magazine editor, on a variety of titles (SELF, Avenue, This Old House, Allure, Continental Profiles, and more)
