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Astro sMarta

@astrosmarta

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@nasa Program Human Systems Integrator (DI EHP-HHP); Founder & President of ISA
First Female Balkan Analog Astronaut 👩🏻‍🚀
📧 [email protected]

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Good luck Artemis II! @nasajohnson @nasaartemis @nasa

1️⃣ The crew will travel aroun 250,000 miles (400,000 km) from Earth, farther than any humans have gone since Apollo 13

2️⃣ The Orion spacecraft will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at ~25,000 mph (40,000 km/h), making it one of the fastest human spacecraft ever 🧨

3️⃣ Artemis II will carry humans beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in over 50 years

4️⃣ The astronauts will see the far side of the Moon with their own eyes - something only humans on Apollo missions have ever experienced 🌑

5️⃣ This mission will test deep-space life support systems needed for future missions to Mars - part of NASA’s long-term Artemis program

#space #artemis #nasa #sls #artemisii taken in NASA Kennedy Space Centre, FL by @astrosmarta

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7 months ago

✨ On the right: Margaret Hamilton, lead software engineer of the Apollo Project, standing next to the code she wrote by hand that took humanity to the Moon. [1969]

✨ On the left: Martina Dimoska, renowned scientist and analog astronaut, holding the documents that prove her Extraordinary Ability Green Card (EB-1A) – a category for Nobel Prize laureates, Olympic gold medalists, and even Albert Einstein. [2025]

🌌Impossible dreams? Unlocked ☑️

I can finally say it: I’m now eligible to work in the U.S. Space Sector - to pursue my lifelong dream of contributing to space exploration, and even spaceflight. 🚀

🔒 Few realize this: while big tech can sponsor visas, national security rules mean you can’t work with NASA, SpaceX, or any other space companies shaping humanity’s future in space - without U.S. residency. That’s why this milestone is everything - and by the end of September, I’ll officially step into this new chapter. ✨

🏆 The EB-1A, the Extraordinary Ability Green Card, is the rarest, most exceptional green card - reserved for Nobel Prize winners, Olympic champions, even Albert Einstein. 🌍

This complex process was made easy by the team at @leaogroup ❤️

🌠 From a country with no space agency or industry, doors like this once felt forever closed. Today, they’re finally open - and I’m ready to walk through.

Next up? Follow my SERA Space journey!

#SERASpace #HumanSpaceflight #EB1A #CareerMilestone #SpaceIndustry #GreenCard #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #SpaceScience #SpaceTechnology #Astronaut #Apollo #WomenInSTEM #WomenInSpace #ExtraordinaryAbility #EB1A #ImmigrantJourney #USSpaceSector #CareerMilestone #GlobalTalent #margarethamilton #headofyes taken in United States by @astrosmarta

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a year ago

We were honored by the presence of Astronaut @astro.woody at @nasaspaceappsmountainview held at @nasaames and had the privilege to be really creative and capture incredible memories such as this Q&A for social media thanks to the @nasaastronauts office.

Enjoy part one of this interview, moderated by @astro_smarta, recorded by @galactic.greaser with incorporated shots by @andrey.yanevski and final edits by @bildraz 🚀

#astronaut #nasa #nasaastronaut #nasa #spaceapps #spaceapps2024 taken in NASA Ames Research Center by @astrosmarta

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2 years ago

The best discoveries at a mega-event like IAC happen in the hallways.
Bringing my research and music to Antalya highlighted once again the true advantage of these gatherings: unfiltered, face-to-face conversations.
I am incredibly blessed to have spent years developing this global network, crossing more and more paths with so many fascinating fellow polymaths.

@thespaceartlab.nyuad
@nyuabudhabi
@iac2026antalya

#iac2026 #spaceart #nyuad taken in Antalya, Turkey by @astrosmarta

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4 days ago

Last Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to be featured in The Roundup, the official publication of NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as part of a special feature titled “Why We Came to NASA: Employees Reflect on Their Path to Johnson.” 🚀

From childhood dreams and career changes to unexpected opportunities, the feature highlights the unique journeys that brought us to NASA, including my own! 🥺

While each of our paths is different, they all converge at Johnson Space Center with a shared purpose: advancing human spaceflight and shaping the future of space exploration.

I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to share a piece of my own journey alongside the inspiring stories of colleagues who help make these extraordinary missions possible. 🌙✨

Btw the JSC Roundup is the official newspaper and employee newsletter of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas and has so much history that you can check here: https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/history/

#NASA #NASAJSC #Artemis #MoonBase #moon taken in NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas by @astrosmarta

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5 days ago

She grew up in a small village in North Macedonia where women were expected to cook, clean, and not ask for much more than that.

Her mum put solar system stickers on her bedroom wall before either of them knew what it would become.

Martina Dimoska is the first female Balkan analog astronaut in the world and today she works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. No connections. No funding. No one from her village, her family, or her country who had done it before her. Just over a decade of grinding, sacrificing, and refusing to quit when every door was closed.

We talk about what it actually takes. The childhood hardship. The lack of support. The years of uncertainty. The moment something finally clicked.

This episode is dedicated to her sister Jovana, who you will hear about in the conversation and who shaped Martina into everything she is today.

This one will stay with you.

Link in bio. Full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now.

@astrosmarta

This episode was proudly supported by @the_burek_guy. Award-winning Balkan bakery in Dee Why, Sydney. Go show them some love.

#BalkanSis #balkansispodcast #MartinaDimoska #NASA #balkanwomen diaspora analogastronaut NorthMacedonia womeninstem womeninspace podcast TheBurekGuy taken in United States America by @astrosmarta

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6 days ago

Come say hi at IAC Antalya @iac2026antalya! 👋🚀 And let’s get a selfie together! 🤳♥️

So excited to be back at the International Astronautical Congress @iafastro and to reunite with friends and colleagues on this incredible global space stage.

Each IAC has marked a different chapter of my journey. At IAC Paris 2022, I attended as an recipient of the IAF Emerging Space Leader Award. At IAC Milan 2024, I returned as official media. And now, at IAC Antalya 2026, I’m incredibly grateful to be here as the recipient of the SGAC Global Rising Star Award. 🌍✨

Today, I’m also proud to contribute to the international space community as a member of the IAF ACCESS Europe Subcommittee, SGAC National Point of Contact for North Macedonia, DREAM (Design and Research of Exploratory Analog Missions) Co-Lead, and through the Space Exploration Project Group (SEPG).

From Paris, to Milan, to Antalya - it’s special to look back at how much has changed, while seeing so many familiar faces along the way. ♥️

If you’re at #IAC2026, come find me - I’d love to reconnect, meet new people, exchange ideas, and of course, get that selfie! 🚀🤳

P.S. Thank you @filip_jovicevic for the photo ☺️

#IAC2026 #IAF #SGAC #HumanSpaceflight taken in Antalya, Turkey by @astrosmarta

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15 days ago

Thank you @zenskimagazin.mk ♥️

Read the full feature here: https://l1nq.com/x8zlwxl

#globalrisingstar #sgac #iaf #iacantalya2026 #iac taken in Antalya, Turkey by @astrosmarta

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15 days ago

I am absolutely thrilled to share that I have been awarded the SGAC Global Rising Star Award by the Space Generation Advisory Council @spacegeneration 🌟

This incredible recognition is given to young space leaders (ages 18–35) from emerging countries who are making a real impact and significant contributions to growing their local space communities.

I am incredibly honored to bring my perspective to the global stage at @iafastro and connect with top industry pioneers, agency heads, and fellow space enthusiasts. This milestone is a huge recognition, and I can’t wait to bring all the knowledge, insights, and global connections back home to continue growing our local space ecosystem. 🌍✨

A massive thank you to SGAC for this monumental opportunity, and to everyone who has supported my space journey so far.

Next stop: the global stage! 🌌🛰️

#SGAC #GlobalRisingStar #SpaceGeneration #iac taken in Antalya, Turkey by @astrosmarta

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16 days ago

The Haus der Bundespressekonferenz (Federal Press Conference Building) sits in Berlin’s government district, just across the Spree from the parliamentary complex. It is one of the central meeting points between Germany’s political institutions and the journalists who report on them. The building houses political correspondents from German and international media and contains the main press hall where representatives of the federal government regularly answer journalists’ questions.

What makes the Bundespressekonferenz (BPK) particularly interesting is its structure: the press conferences are organized by the journalists themselves, rather than by the government. Parliamentary correspondents decide whom to invite and what topics to address. Regular federal government press conferences are held there on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Press House in Berlin courtesy of @aspeninstitute @aspen_germany 🇩🇪

It's just steps from the Bundestag, and we visited both at the same day. The Haus der Bundespressekonferenz is one of the places where German politics meets the press.

It is home to parliamentary correspondents and the press hall where government representatives regularly face questions from journalists.

What stood out to me is that these press conferences are organized by the journalists themselves - an unusual model designed to give the press an independent role in deciding whom to question and what to ask. taken in Bundespressekonferenz by @astrosmarta

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19 days ago

🇩🇪 Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) is probably Berlin’s most recognizable landmark. It was built between 1788 and 1791, commissioned by Prussian King Frederick William II and designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans. Its architecture was inspired by the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The sculpture on top, the Quadriga, depicts a chariot drawn by four horses.

A fun piece of its history: when Napoleon occupied Berlin in 1806, he had the Quadriga taken to Paris. After Napoleon’s defeat, it was returned to Berlin in 1814.

But the Gate became especially powerful symbolically after World War II. When Berlin was divided, the Brandenburg Gate ended up right beside the boundary between East and West. After the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961, the Gate sat inside the restricted border zone, meaning ordinary people from either side couldn’t simply walk through it.

The Bundestag is Germany’s national parliament. One important distinction is that “Bundestag” is the parliament itself, while the famous building in Berlin where it meets is the Reichstag Building (Reichstagsgebäude). The Bundestag has met there since 1999.

🇩🇪 What does the Bundestag actually do?

Germany is a parliamentary democracy, so the Bundestag is extremely important. Its 630 elected members debate and pass federal laws, approve the federal budget, scrutinize the federal government, decide on deployments of Germany’s armed forces abroad, and elect the Federal Chancellor.

It is different from the Bundesregierung, or Federal Government. The government runs the executive branch; the Bundestag is the legislature and has the responsibility of scrutinizing that government.

Hi from Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate! If you have received a magnet 🧲 from me from this study trip note that it was purchased from here, as our @aspeninstitute @aspen_germany agenda was packed!

We spent a few unforgettable days in Berlin with the Aspen Institute Germany’s Connecting Futures program 🇩🇪

From conversations on media, democracy, trust, technology and civic participation to visits to the Bundestag and Federal Press Office, the study trip offered a deeper look into Germany’s political a taken in Berlin, Deutschland by @astrosmarta

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24 days ago

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a study visit to Berlin as part of Connecting Futures: Information Integrity in Europe’s Next Decade, an initiative led by Aspen Institute Germany in cooperation with Aspen institutes across Europe and Aspen Digital.

The Aspen Institute @aspeninstitute @aspen_germany is part of an international network that creates spaces for dialogue, leadership development, and collaboration on public-interest issues. Founded in 1974, Aspen Institute Germany was the first Aspen institute established outside the United States. Its work today spans European, transatlantic, digital, leadership, and public programs.

Connecting Futures brings together 20 journalists, fact-checkers, content creators, investigative reporters, and digital innovators from the ten EU enlargement countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine.

Through online sessions, foresight workshops, and the Berlin study visit, we are examining how artificial intelligence, political communication, foreign information manipulation, changing audience behavior, media ownership, platform governance, and declining public trust may shape Europe’s information environment over the next decade.

Our Berlin program opened with a welcome dinner and a keynote by Dr. Sonja Kreibich from the German Federal Foreign Office on strategic communication and information resilience.

During the study visit, we also visited:

* The German Federal Press and Information Office, where we learned more about how the federal government communicates with the public and responds to a rapidly changing media environment.

* The German Bundestag, where we discussed the relationship between politics and the digital public sphere, including the responsibilities of legislators, institutions, journalists, and content creators.

* A series of working sessions focused on cross-border information flows, transnational cooperation, EU enlargement, platform responsibility, regulation, media freedom, and information integrity.

A particularly valuable part of the program was the opportunity to exchange perspectives with participa taken in Berlin, Deutschland by @astrosmarta

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