In a move that has left both fashionistas and astrophysicists equally baffled, a collection of saris once worn by Indian ‘rocket woman’ Tessy Thomas has been installed in a US museum, prompting the British Space Agency to issue a fawning press release about diversity. Because nothing says ‘we value inclusion’ quite like displaying someone else’s cultural artefacts thousands of miles away while your own space programme remains grounded by chronic underfunding.
Tessy Thomas, the first female scientist to lead a missile project in India, has had her saris – yes, the actual garments – mounted behind glass at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington DC. The exhibit, titled ‘Saris and Satellites: The Threads of Indian Innovation’, apparently aims to celebrate the intersection of traditional dress and space exploration. Because nothing bridges the gap between a ballistic missile and a chiffon blouse quite like a museum curator with a flair for the absurd.
The British Space Agency, keen to piggyback on any positive PR about diversity, released a statement lauding the ‘inspirational’ display. Their CEO, Sir Reginald Bland-Porridge, was quoted as saying: “This wonderful exhibition demonstrates that space is for everyone, regardless of gender, nationality, or the number of yards of fabric you wrap around yourself in the morning.” One can only imagine his next initiative: a collection of union jack-patterned spacesuits to be worn by astronauts on the International Space Station, perhaps with matching bowler hats.
But let us be clear. The British Space Agency has, to date, launched precisely zero humans into orbit from British soil. Their most notable achievement in recent years was sponsoring a competition for schoolchildren to name a satellite, which was eventually called ‘TimPeakeIsMyHero’. Meanwhile, India has successfully sent probes to Mars and the Moon, and their scientists routinely achieve the kind of technological marvels that make British aerospace engineers weep into their tea.
So why, you might ask, is the British Space Agency celebrating the saris of an Indian scientist? The answer, dear reader, is that diversity has become a convenient fig leaf for institutional failure. It is far easier to issue a press release applauding somebody else’s success than to actually fund your own space programme. The British government slashed its space budget by 15% last year, yet they have found time to commission a diversity audit of the National Space Centre in Leicester. Priorities, people.
And what of the saris themselves? They are, by all accounts, lovely. One is a deep green silk with gold embroidery, another a striking pink and grey number. They are displayed alongside a model of the Agni-V missile that Thomas helped develop. The juxtaposition is jarring: delicate fabric next to weapon of mass destruction, cloth that might have once been draped in prayer now hanging in a hall of military might. But perhaps that is the point. Women can be both soft and fierce, nurturing and deadly. Or maybe it is just a museum trying to be edgy.
Either way, the British Space Agency’s involvement reeks of desperation. They are like a man at a party who keeps loudly praising the host’s furniture while everyone ignores him. Their statement concluded with a pledge to ‘continue working with international partners to inspire the next generation of diverse space explorers’. Translation: we have no rocket, no money, and no clue, but at least we have a Twitter account and a strong opinion on other people’s saris.
In a world where women like Tessy Thomas are rewriting the rules of space exploration, the British Space Agency seems stuck in a time warp, celebrating diversity as if it were a quaint hobby rather than a necessity. They should take a lesson from the saris themselves: vibrant, adaptable, and effortlessly elegant – qualities that are currently in short supply at the British Space Agency’s headquarters in Swindon. But perhaps that is expecting too much. After all, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, no matter how many diversity statements you issue.
