Samantha Raines

“Continue looking after Earth while aiming for the stars,” is Samantha’s personal motto. An avid Sea and Space advocate, Samantha hopes to show how the two can help life on Earth. She is an Ocean Robotics Engineer, PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, Specialty Instructor, Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) and an active Astronaut Candidate training for future Space Missions.

Samantha is actively involved with Australian wildlife and reef conservation. She has logged dives in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Pacific, continental United States, Hawaii and Australia.

Through her work in Ocean Robotics, she is focused on building robotics for ocean exploration, mapping and conservation, and one day sending them to explore icy planets. Samantha is committed to using technology to impact the world positively and to contribute to a more sustainable future.

• An active Astronaut Candidate, training for future Space Missions. Recent training includes underwater microgravity simulations for equipment failures, aerobatic and high G training, space suit simulations, hypoxia training and survival training
• Co-authored a paper: Space Assets and Technology for Bushfire Management, which was presented to the United Nations on global recommendations for bushfires and wildfires
• Whale and dolphin conservation through the use of satellite imagery
• Contributing to the Ocean Decade and Seabed 2030 initiatives
• Becoming a certified PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, Specialty Instructor and Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT)
• Combining technology with conservation and calculating bleaching levels for the Great Barrier Reef
• A Mentor for the Melbourne Space Program which saw a satellite be built and launched successfully
• Master in Computer Science from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).
• Logged dives all around the world including locations such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Pacific, United States and Hawaii, and various locations around Australia