Points of Pride/Space

October 1999 Purdue boasts impressive astronaut heritage Graduates have flown and lived in space, walked on the moon Purdue is known as the "cradle of astronauts" – having graduated 21 people who have been selected for space flight, and together serving on more than 40 percent of all U.S. manned missions. All told, Purdue alumni have logged one year and seven months in space. Purdue and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have had more alumni chosen for space flight than any other non-military institution. The list of Purdue alumni includes: • The first and last astronauts to walk on the moon: Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan, respectively. • Jerry Ross, who has walked in space more than any other astronaut. • David Wolf, a medical doctor who spent four months on the Russian space station Mir, and who also served on the most successful Spacelab mission ever flown. • Pioneering astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee, who died Jan. 27, 1967, in a fire inside their space capsule during a preflight test of Apollo 1. • Astronauts who have served on historic missions to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, release the Galileo spacecraft and begin assembly of the International Space Station. The tradition began more than a hundred years ago • Roots trace back to the 19th century, when Purdue emerged as a research center for mechanical engineering. • Later, in the early and mid-20th century, the university became a leader in aviation, rocketry and propulsion research. Its first graduate to fly, Clifford Turpin, was schooled by Orville Wright and eventually set a world altitude record. • Purdue is home to the oldest university-based airport in the nation. • Its engineering graduates have played many roles in the space program, from work in spacecraft and satellite design to electronics and propellants research. The tradition continues into the 21st century Three Purdue alumni are scheduled to fly on future space shuttle missions: • Janice Voss, on STS-99, estimated for launch on Jan. 13, 2000 • Mary Ellen Weber, on STS-101, estimated for launch on Feb. 10, 2000 • Mark L. Polansky, STS-98, estimated for launch April 20, 2000 To the Purdue News and Photos Page