October 28, 2004
Astronaut presentation part of annual Fall Space Day
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University alumnus and astronaut Guy Gardner will share his experiences as an astronaut in a public presentation and participate in a space day for young students.
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Gardner, a 1970 graduate of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will give a one-hour talk and presentation entitled "Journey to Space" at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 in Stewart Center, Room 206. There will be a short question-and-answer session following Gardner’s presentation. The talk is free and open to the public.
Gardner also will speak to approximately 350 pre-registered students in grades three through eight at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday (Nov. 6) in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall. The students will participate in hands-on activities dealing with rockets, rovers and other devices used in space exploration.
A veteran of two space shuttle missions, Gardner will speak in conjunction with annual Purdue Fall Space Day, an educational program for elementary and middle school students that gives them an opportunity to learn about aeronautical engineering and space exploration. Both programs are sponsored by the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
After receiving a bachelor's degree from the Air Force Academy in 1969, Gardener earned a master's degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue in 1970. In 2000 he completed a master's degree in math and physics education from Virginia Tech University.
During 11 years as a NASA astronaut, he flew two missions to space as pilot of the space shuttle Atlantis in 1988 and Columbia in 1990. While at NASA he also worked in various areas of mission support and space shuttle and space station development.
In 1992, after a brief second period with the military as commandant of the Air Force's Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Gardner returned to NASA as the first program director of the joint American and Russian Shuttle-Mir Program. He also served as mission director and director of quality assurance.
In 1995 Gardner joined the Federal Aviation Administration, where he has worked with research and development and was responsible for oversight and regulation of civil aviation. He also has worked with high school students, both as a teacher and a motivational speaker.
Gardner in January was named director of superprojects for the e-Enterprise Center in Discovery Park, marking the first time Purdue has hired one of its 22 astronaut alumni. Superprojects are interdisciplinary research endeavors with at least $1 million in funding, including current projects with implications for homeland security and manned trips to Mars.
All student spaces for Purdue Fall Space Day have been filled. The day is sponsored by the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, Purdue Engineering Student Council, Great Lakes Chemical Corp., DaimlerChrysler, Lafayette Aviation and OfficeMax.
Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu
Sources: Ann Broughton, Fall Space Day coordinator, (765) 494-5147, broughton@ecn.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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