We Are Space Scout
About Us
Space Scout was founded in Dec. 2019 by Lavie Ohana (@lavie154) and David Diebold (@DavidJDPhotos), both of which had worked on predecessor projects that would eventually lead to the site’s creation as early as 2017. Space Scout was created with the mission statement of providing accurate space reporting and launch viewing information. Three years later, it has grown into an institution that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion in the space media industry with a focus on sharing space’s greatest stories from the human level.
Space Scout is, at this time, a volunteer-run, non-commercial group sharing information and commentary on the current affairs of the space industry. At the same time, we’re a continuously growing institution, so if you are interested in volunteering and contributing to our site and social media feeds, reach out to us either via Twitter or through our Discord community, which you may join by clicking here.
For administrative, business, or other general inquires, contact the managing editor at [email protected].
Header image credit: An Tran / Space Scout
The Team
Nik Alexander – Managing Editor, Writing Lead
– @nikproxima – (they/them)
Hailing from Washington DC, Nik has spent a good third of their life obsessing over Spaceflight, after being inspired by the Space Shuttles leaping off the pad at Kennedy Space Center. Their research has taken many forms, including environmental science, equity and justice, engineering history, world history, and more recently, space policy. In their free time, they enjoy being outdoors, writing science fiction and attending live concerts.
David Diebold – Co-Founder, Photography Lead
– @DavidJDPhotos – (he/him)
Loving being behind the lens in more ways than one, David is Co-Founder, editor, photographer and webcast host for Space Scout. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1993, he’s been chasing down rocket launches since 2016. His passion for live-streaming led him to streaming rocket launches on his trips down to the Space Coast in Florida, which eventually led him to getting better and better camera gear. After photographing the CRS-18 mission during the NASA Social, a love of photography was sparked, eventually leading to him buying his first DSLR in late 2020. Now as of Sept. 2023, he’s photographed and covered over 50 different missions.
Derek Newsome – Photojournalist
– @derekdotspace – (he/him)
An avid spaceflight enthusiast his whole life, Derek was always looking to join the industry. After moving back to Florida in 2021 for college, he picked up photography and quickly began covering every launch he could. Now with over 100 launches to his credit, Derek continues to improve his photography, and share the story of spaceflight with the world.
An Tran – Photojournalist
– @the_space_nut – (he/him)
An aerospace nut that got his hands on a camera, An is a photographer that tries to make it out to as many launches as he can since 2019. From Texas and usually based in Florida, he’s an aerospace engineering student, rocketry enthusiast, and everything in between.
Astrid Cordero – Photojournalist
– @Astronaut_87 – (she/her)
Latina, Explorer, photographer and passionate about Aeronautics and Space Exploration. Astrid currently resides in Orlando, FL to focus on her passion for rocket photography and pursue her career in Aeronautical Engineering.
Andrea Lloyd – Writer
– @SciCommAndrea – (she/they)
Andrea Lloyd is a space science communicator located in South Dakota. Their professional interests include public space literacy and spaceflight public relations history. When not writing about space science for work or in their free time, they gravitate towards baking breads and pastries while watching true crime and air disaster documentaries. Please send recommendations to @SciCommAndrea, they’re running out of content.
Dustin Smith – Photojournalist, Graphic Designer
– @DustinTheNow – (he/him)
Dustin was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. He grew up watching space shuttle launches from the space coast and dreamed of studying aerospace engineering. He would grow to do just that. In 2018, Dustin graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida. Due to a career path change in the middle of the pandemic, Dustin switched from Engineering to graphic design & photography. He now enjoys professional photography and graphic design as his full time job, but still aspires to get back in the industry as well as presently to continue covering rocket launches and space flight events!
Beverly – Writer
– @avecas_ – (they/them)
Beverly is an aerospace engineer with interests in human spaceflight, mission architecture, and human systems integration. They obtained their B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University and are currently completing their M.S. in Space Architecture at the University of Houston. Their other hobbies include digital art, creative writing, and music composition.
Emily – Writer
– @DeltaDizzy – (she/her)
Emily is a fan of all things relating to the outer planets, ocean worlds, nuclear power, and electric propulsion (especially all four!) from north-west Georgia. She first got interested in space due to Mars Phoenix in 2007, with it becoming an obsession after seeing STS-131 at KSC in 2010. In her spare time she loves reading up and sharing her knowledge of space exploration, thinking about weather and geology, and thinking about sci-fi and space stories and environments.
Scarlet – Writer
(she/her)
Scarlet has had an interest in astronomy from a very young age, which narrowed into a focus on planetary geology with age. Now, with a growing love of research and writing, and a deep interest in the rapidly changing landscape of spaceflight, she is committed to writing to make this information more accessible to those unfamiliar. Scarlet is also a hobbyist amateur astronomer and space artist.
Nick Boone – Photojournalist
– @AstroGuy – (he/him)
Nick is a photographer with an interest in aviation, spaceflight, and the night sky. He fell in love with aerospace after reading The Martian in 2015, and has been capturing rocket launches since 2019. He’s also a really, really big fan of Jurassic Park.
Matt Dahle – Photojournalist
– @matt_dahle – (he/him)
While he’s from Salt Lake City, Utah, Matt spends most of his time traveling all over the surrounding states for work. While his career is in aviation, Matt is also passionate about rockets, rocketry, and spaceflight! After first picking up a camera in 2020, he’s been striving to combine his love of space with his love of photography. If it’s pointy on top and violently spewing out fire on the bottom, you may be able to find Matt in the vicinity with a camera!
Brandon Berkoff – Photojournalist & Writer
– @spacebrandonb – (he/him)
Always that kid looking up at the stars, through a telescope or lens, Brandon has been following his passions for spaceflight and astronomy since 2018. After getting his first telescope 5 years ago, he has lost countless hours of sleep to the night sky capturing the wonders of the universe. Throughout high school, he spent multiple years conducting research of the lunar surface earning him the nickname “The Spaceboy”. Now having moved to Florida, Brandon is pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering while also capturing the latest events on the space coast.
Former Team Members
Lavie Ohana – Co-Founder, Former Managing Editor
– @lavie154 – (she/hey)
Lavie is the co-founder and former managing editor of Space Scout. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, she started Space Scout in 2019, running the site’s daily operations, writing and editing much of the site’s content, and leading the growing team through mid-2023. She’s now at ABL Space Systems’ creative team supporting the RS1 program, but hangs out with and advises the team often as it continues to grow. Off work, Lavie’s often around the rocketry community, having helped start the Hot Nozzle Society and lately working in experimental propulsion at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry site.
