In this episode, Ersilia Vaudo, Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency, joins Petri Burtsoff at Paimio Sanatorium to reflect on space, community, and architecture.

She highlights why future space exploration must embrace diversity and inclusion, moving beyond the narrow image of the Apollo astronauts to represent humanity as a whole.

Vaudo shares how seeing Earth from space fosters a deep sense of belonging, and what that perspective can teach us on the ground. Looking ahead to lunar habitats, she considers how architecture can address isolation, balance beauty and function, and spark new creativity freed from Earth’s constraints.

Ersilia Vaudo is an esteemed astrophysicist and Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency (ESA). She has significantly contributed to space science and exploration and is a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, promoting gender equality and inspiring future generations of scientists and engineers.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com.