Journalist: News from Canberra’s Deep Space Communications Complex with a visit this morning by the Federal Assistant Minister for Science, Karen Andrews, who took a tour of the facilities and of course this complex manages and operates one of NASA’s three tracking stations that provides continuous two way radio contact with space craft exploring our solar system and beyond and Minister Karen Andrews joins me this afternoon, a very good afternoon to you.

Karen Andrews:  Good Afternoon Alex, how are you?

Journalist: I’m very well. Tell me about your visit this morning?

Karen Andrews: Well, it was an absolutely wonderful experience; I mean this facility is certainly leading the world. It is an outstanding achievement so far for Australian science, particularly with the collaboration with NASA. So clearly we are linking our scientists and our science community with NASA in looking at deep space. We are the only deep space station that is operating in the Southern Hemisphere with NASA and because of the way the planets are going to be aligning over the next 10 to 15years the Southern Hemisphere is going to be able to give us the best views of the skies. So we have some real opportunities here in Australia to keep the leading edge.

Journalist: Were you there to announce a funding boost?

Karen Andrews: I was actually there to have a look at the progress of Deep Space station number 36. So it’s one of two new antennas that are being built out on the site at the moment and we’re hoping that station number 36 will be on line for commissioning in October next year.

So I was out there looking at progress on that, I did have the opportunity to go into the control room and meet some of the operators there and actually was there while data was coming in live from Mars. I got to see the data coming in so it was a pretty special visit.

Journalist: One of the perks of the job, hey?

Karen Andrews: Absolutely. Seeing the moon rocks and listening to the great work that they’re doing in inspiring our young people in science and particularly in astronomy.

Journalist: Is there going to be a financial boost for the ACT out of the work there?

Karen Andrews: Absolutely. Can I say firstly there’s been about $800 million injected into the area through NASA. But particularly with these two new antennas the injection into the Canberra economy is around about $100 million which is significant.

Journalist: But you were there just to observe, it wasn’t to announce extra funding or a boost in extra funding in the future?

Karen Andrews: No I certainly wasn’t announcing extra funding at the moment, it was looking at the work that’s already in progress with the two new antennas the last of which will be coming online in October of next year, making sure everything was progressing as it should but certainly keeping an eye out for future opportunities.

Journalist: Was this your first visit there, Minister?

Karen Andrews: Yes it was and I was very impressed.

Journalist: In terms of your background and then having something like this under your watch, have you always been interested in space?

Karen Andrews: Yes I have. Without giving too much away I have to say I was one of the students that was allowed to go home from school on the day that we had the first footstep on the moon.

Journalist: I think I was in the same footsteps as well Minister.

Karen Andrews: How exciting was that? I can still remember that and look when the first pictures were coming back from Pluto how fabulous was that?

Journalist: I think we actually had the black and white TV at the school. Look fantastic, thanks for calling in. You’re just really calling in to say this was a fantastic visit, making that link to the ACT as well.

Karen Andrews: And I’m ringing in to say how lucky people in Canberra are that they have this facility that they can go out and visit and see firsthand how well Australia is doing in space science.

Journalist: There’s something to do on the weekend.

Karen Andrews: Absolutely.

Journalist: Karen Andrews thanks so much.

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