Born in Brittany, France, the space technology lecturer at the University of Glasgow was recently awarded the Manufacturing Technology award, an engineering accolade he received for developing a space testing facility alongside his team at the university’s James Watt School of Engineering and the Manufacturing Technology Centre.
The facility uses a vacuum chamber that generates temperatures between -150C and 250C to produce space-like conditions on Earth. This vacuum chamber is specially designed to help support the developing field of space manufacturing.
So, what was it like to pick up the worldly gong?
“Extremely uncomfortable,” Dr Bailet replies. “I don’t like to receive attention, but my team worked really well on it, so I was extremely happy when they received recognition for it.
“There are some values here in Scotland that make me really proud to be working here and contributing to society.”
He praises the city of Glasgow in particular for being at the forefront of space technological development.
“Glasgow is a city outside of the US, which is manufacturing the most spacecrafts. Glasgow is like a superpower for space.”
The award-winning testing facility allows researchers to 3D-print polymers, ceramics and metals and simulate space-like conditions to gauge whether they would withstand the strains they would endure in outer space.
While the study of outer space may seem unimportant to the happenings down on Earth, Dr Bailet stresses how significant the relationship between society and the solar system is, and just how vital it is for understanding the world.
“I invite you to think about your daily life”, he offers. “Your glasses, for example, are made with plastic, not glass anymore. This was technology developed for space telescopes and spacecrafts.
“Every time you fly on a plane, you need weather predictions to make sure you will be safe. Again, this was developed for spacecraft.”
The French professor’s journey to where he is today began from a single motivation: to make the world a better place.
“My biggest strength is inventing things and solving problems,” he explains.
Dr Bailet has worked in many different corners of the world, from Taiwan to California, but his excitement for the study of space has never ceased.
His main priority is to explain to people how important space is and how anyone from any background can contribute to the development of the field. One way he has grabbed attention is his recent collaboration with a fashion designer.
A piece of fabric was painted with bacteria-infused dye, which is radiation sensitive, and will be sent into space to contribute to cancer research.
Dr Bailet says: “We’re going to send it into space at the end of this month. This art piece will also be a scientific instrument to be able to do radiation measurements.”
This quirky stunt intends to grab public attention about how space can improve life on Earth. Dr Bailet, who is leading this textile project, wants to translate this research not just to aid astronauts but also to do activities in schools about the prevention of skin cancer.
Dr Bailet emphasises that technological advancements in space must be carried out with care to ensure the dangers of fast-moving space debris and shrapnel do not destroy spacecrafts that are worth billions.
This is where 3D printing in space would prove beneficial. Dr Bailet stresses this is not just a one-off venture but rather an attempt to create a circular economy where waste is limited and sustainable engineering practices in space are regular.
“For example, with 3D printing, when you print something in space like an antenna or solar panel, every five years you can come back to it, shred it up and then print a new one,” he says.
“You can reuse this material again and again, 10 or 20 times. So instead of launching a rocket every five years for maintaining a specific capability, only one could be sent every decade.”
He reveals that the study of space academia in Scotland is a hard endeavour due to insignificant funding for engineering bodies, which makes it harder for projects such as his own to come to fruition.
“We need more people to be proud of the amazing talent we have here in Scotland, and the living conditions,” he says.
“What I would like to do is to attract more investors. I see a lot of my colleagues go to the US to work for much bigger salaries and much bigger companies. We have fantastic Scottish space engineers all over the world that love their country but don’t have the resources or support.”
Dr Bailet is hopeful about the future; his upcoming business venture, Orbital Arrays, will help push new space technology products, such as 3D printing, and allow Scotland and Europe to become key competitors in the space industry.
His new business has already received great recognition: “I’m nominated for another award for my new company,” he reveals.
The doctor’s next space stunt will involve Scotland’s national drink being sent into space to research the correlation between alcohol and cancer.
“We’re planning to do a new mission where we’re going to make whisky in space,” Dr Bailet says. “This is the hook; at first it looks like simply making whisky in space, but it is actually leading to revolutionary cancer treatment drugs.”
Dr Bailet greatly admires Scotland’s contribution to groundbreaking space research and recognises how internationally significant the country is to pushing the boundaries of engineering.
“You don’t need to leave Scotland if you want to do some really ambitious and cool projects,” he concludes.
