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55 YEARS AFTER THE FLIGHT OF FRIENDSHIP SEVEN, WHICH ORBITED THE EARTH THREE TIMES IN FIVE HOURS - SPEAKERS IN THE ANNIVERSARY EVENT TALKED ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO REACH FOR SPACE. ONE OF THOSE SPEAKERS WAS PRESIDENT OF THE GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER DR. KIRSTEN ELLENBOGEN.
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THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER WAS DR. DONALD THOMAS, AN ASTRONAUT WHO FLEW FOUR MISSIONS ABOARD SPACE SHUTTLES COLUMBIA AND DISCOVERY....
HE WAS SELECTED AS A SPEAKER – BECAUSE, LIKE GLENN, HE IS ONE OF 25 ASTRONAUTS BORN IN OHIO - THAT'S A RECORD, WITH THE MOST
ASTRONAUTS OF 'ANY' STATE IN AMERICA!
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DOCTOR THOMAS, A CLEVELAND NATIVE, CALLED JOHN GLENN ONE OF HIS HEROES – AND RECALLED WATCHING THE SHUTTLE LAUNCH AS A BOY.
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BECAUSE IT WAS PRESIDENTS' DAY AND SCHOOLS WERE OUT, THE AUDIENCE INCLUDED LOTS OF STUDENTS, INCLUDING CLASSES FROM MEDINA OHIO WHO WATCH NEWSDEPTH - AND RECOGNIZED RICK, WHO NASA HAD ASKED TO BE THE MODERATOR FOR THEIR PROGRAM!
AFTERWARD, MANY OF THEM WERE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS TO DR THOMAS, DR. KRISTEN ELLENBOGEN, AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER, DR. PEREZ-HARRIS. ASIDE FROM THE TRUTH ABOUT ASTRONAUT ICE CREAM, THE MESSAGE THEY HEARD BACK WAS TO STAY IN SCHOOL - AND STAY CURIOUS….AND MAYBE WHEN OHIO GETS TO IT’S 35TH ASTRONAUTS... THEY'LL BE AMONG THE CREW!
AS YOU HEARD, OHIO CLAIMS MORE ASTRONAUTS THAN ANY OTHER STATE! WITH SO MANY INSPIRING BUCKEYES FILLING THOSE SPACE SHOES, WE’RE WONDERING: WOULD YOU TAKE ON THE TASK?
IN OUR POLL THIS WEEK YOU CAN TELL US: WOULD YOU APPLY TO ROCKET INTO THE FINAL FRONTIER AS AN ASTRONAUT? CLICK THE POLL BUTTON ON OUR WEBSITE TO TELL US YES OR NO.
AFTER YOU’VE VOTED, WRITE IN, AND TELL US: WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FIRST STOP AS AN ASTRONAUT?
EARLIER IN THE SHOW, WE TALKED ABOUT A FEW DESTINATIONS FOR YOUR STAR TREK – YOU HEARD ABOUT SPACE TOURISTS CIRCLING THE MOON, AND THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, AND, OF COURSE, THE TRAPPIST-1 PLANETS…AND THERE ARE MANY MORE PLANETS THAT NASA DISCOVERED THIS YEAR, SO, IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH TO LET US KNOW WHICH ONE YOU MIGHT WANT TO EXPLORE!
Instructional Links
Website: Armstrong Air and Space Museum | Explore the museum that honors Ohio’s Neil Armstrong and space achievements.
Video: Idaho Public Television, Space Trek, Astronauts | Includes videos, articles, games, links, & bibliography
Infographic: Ohio Astronauts | Graphic visualization with charts & graphs
Game: Ohio Astronauts | Need Shockwave to play
Website: NASA, Ohio Astronauts | Click on images for brief biographies.