Ever wonder what it’s like to be an astronaut and to live and work in space? Find out directly from NASA astronauts who will be in the Los Angeles area the week of Feb. 17 as the agency shares the accomplishments, promise and opportunities for research aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Mark Vande Hei and Peggy Whitson will deliver presentations during the week. All include media availabilities.
In addition, the agency’s newest exhibit, “Destination: Station,” a multimedia exhibit showcasing what it’s like to live aboard the International Space Station, is open to the public at the California Science Center through April 7. Admission is free.
Caldwell Dyson lived and worked aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer on Expedition 23/24 for 174 days in 2010. She will share her spaceflight experiences in a public presentation at 10 a.m. PST Feb. 17 at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena. She will deliver a public lecture at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Beckman Center on the campus of the University of California, Irvine.
Join Vande Hei as he prepares for his first flight in space, a six-month assignment on the International Space Station. His presentation from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at Palos Verdes High School will feature astronaut training and space station robotics.
At 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in Griffith Observatory’s Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater, Vande Hei will discuss his astronaut selection and training for an extended station mission. The presentation is titled “From Earth to the Space Station: An Astronaut’s Perspective.” The event is open to the public and admission is free.
Whitson, who has completed two expeditions aboard the International Space Station including one as the first female commander of the orbiting laboratory, will teach you how to “Train Like an Astronaut.” Various events are scheduled from 2-6 p.m. Feb. 22 at Westminster Avenue Elementary School in Venice.
A Twitter Town Hall will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at Pepperdine University in Malibu with Liz Warren, assistant program scientist for the International Space Station.
At the Twitter Town Hall, NASA fans and followers can ask questions and receive answers from Warren.
Audiences may learn about the wonders of the space station and how it improves life on Earth. Use the hashtag #AskDrWarren from Feb. 17-19. Log on to Twitter from 7-7:30 p.m. PST Feb. 19 to see if your questions are answered. For additional information, visit: http://www.pepperdine.edu/pr/events/2014/february/nasa-iss-town-hall-2014.htm
There will be a live event with crew members aboard the International Space Station via televised downlink on Thursday, Feb. 20, in the University Student Union-Theatre at California State University, Los Angeles. During the activities, which begin at 9 a.m., attendees may ask Expedition 38 flight engineers Rick Mastracchio, Mike Hopkins and Koichi Wakata about the progress of their mission.
“International Space Station Day” will highlight the “Destination: Station” exhibit and feature hands-on activities exploring the extreme temperatures in space, astronaut cuisine and more. Guests will also have the opportunity to touch a 4-billion-year-old moon rock, one of only eight lunar samples in the world made available for the public to touch. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 22 at the California Science Center.
Times (all PST), dates, locations and media contact information for events:
10 a.m. Feb. 17 Kidspace Children’s Museum (Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson)
Brooke Applegate (626-449-9144, ext. 5201)
7 p.m. Feb. 18 University of California, Irvine (Caldwell Dyson)
Melissa Sweet (949-735-6585)
6 p.m. Feb. 19 Pepperdine University
Tiffany Wright (310-506-4382)
6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 Palos Verdes High School (Astronaut Mark Vande Hei)
Joanne Lewis (310-378-8471, ext. 618)
9 a.m. Feb. 20 Cal State University, Los Angeles
Paul Browning (323-343-3044)
7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 Griffith Observatory (Vande Hei)
Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater
Bonnie Winings (818-760-7131)
10 a.m. Feb. 22 California Science Center
Paula Wagner (213-744-2144)
2 p.m. Feb. 22 Westminster Avenue Elementary School (Astronaut Peggy Whitson)
Karen Reynolds (310-392-3041)
For more about Destination Station, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/destinationstation
For more about the International Space Station, visit:
William Jeffs
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
william.p.jeffs@nasa.gov