It used to be that an Australian child could aspire to any career they wanted, with two exceptions: head of state, and low-level aerospace bureaucrat.

But half of that equation is about to change, with the news Australia is set to get its very own space agency, thus joining the ranks of proper grown-up nations who look beyond their own atmospheres to the celestial realm.

This is huge news for all sorts of reasons. Acting Industry Minister Michaelia Cash noted that establishing a national space agency will allow Australia to participate in a rapidly growing global industry, while Labor science spokesman Kim Carr stressed the importance of a space program in "protecting our domestic interests".

Reaction from the space-buff community has been similarly positive, with astrophysicist Alan Duffy hopeful the agency will create new jobs in the sector.

Which is all well and good. But we need to get down to specifics: what exactly is our space agency going to do?

Let's remember that this isn't just any space agency: this is an Australian agency.

As such, there are certain priorities it needs to have to ensure that when we breach the final frontier, we do it in a distinctly patriotic way.

1. Claiming the Southern Cross

Unfortunately, New Zealand already has a space program, which means we're starting from behind.

But if enough resources are ploughed into our own space exploration, our Aussie-nauts can be the first to reach the Southern Cross and claim it officially for Australia.

It's a vital aim — can you imagine the national humiliation if OUR Southern Cross ends up belonging to another country?

Can you imagine the humiliation if another country beats Australia in claiming the Southern Cross? ( Geoff Wyatt: Sydney Observatory )

2. Bolstering the surf

Surfing is a huge part of Australian culture, but it is a sport sadly dependent on environmental conditions.

With a robust space program we can finally exert more control over our surf, simply by sending multiple missions to the moon to deposit greater quantities of earth.

By increasing the mass of the moon, we can increase the magnitude of the tides — and surfing conditions — every day of the year. What could be more Australian?

3. Bringing AFL to outer-space

It is critical the Australian space agency takes the game of AFL to new heights: outer-space. ( Flickr: Chris Brown )

I'm sure we've all had enough of the so-called "world game" lording it over our indigenous sport, just because Aussie Rules is too sophisticated for other countries to understand.

We'll see how FIFA chafes when the first AFL game in space is played, let alone when the first interstellar club enters the competition (probably by relocating North Melbourne).

Who needs the "world game" when we will soon have the universe game?

4. Revolutionising hard rubbish collection

Once Australia has a foothold in space, there will be no need to continue spoiling the beauty of our immaculate nature strips with old couches, broken televisions and unused rowing machines.

Hard Rubbish Day will be revolutionised by a new system in which our heftier refuse can be jettisoned directly into space through tubes fitted to every house.

Alternatively, hard rubbish can be used to build up the moon (see point 2).

5. Extending the mining boom

We hear so often that the resources boom has come to an end, but we can revive it once we start mining the precious rocks of Mars, Venus, and others.

There'll be no risk of our mining machinery standing idle for generations hence, now that we can send it into space.

And it'll make FIFO work a bigger adventure than ever.

6. Popping the housing bubble

Australia's youth these days despair of ever owning their own home, thanks to skyrocketing property prices in our capital cities.

The advent of Australian space travel will change all that, opening up alien planets for development, thereby creating a manifold increase in housing supply and taking pressure off prices.

Mortgage stress will become a thing of the past once millennials have the option of snapping up a bargain moon unit.

7. Solving the refugee crisis

This one's a no-brainer, especially when you consider how easy it is to attach rockets to a boat.

8. Improving sporting performance

With so many of our national sports representatives in a rut, the cutting-edge techniques a space program can make available will be a godsend.

These include, but are not restricted to: improving aerobic fitness through zero-gravity training sessions; cutting down on arduous travel times by allowing national squads to travel by rocket; dedicated satellites to spy on All Blacks strategy meetings; and exiling Bernard Tomic to Pluto.

9. Eradicating pest species

Famously, the only solution to the murderous xenomorph of Aliens was to nuke the entire site from orbit. This is also true of feral camels.

10. Building Sydney's second airport

Nobody likes to have an airport near their home, an issue easily resolved by placing the much-needed second airport in the cold nothingness of space.

Obviously, the shuttle service from the carpark to the terminal will be longer than usual, but Sydney commuters accustomed to peak-hour traffic will probably find it a time-saver.