Astronaut to discuss space shuttle missions

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Many may have wondered what it’s like to fly in a spaceship with a Boilermaker. On April 6, astronaut Mary Cleave will offer an insiders’ perspective of space, detailing her experiences as a scientist and engineer at NASA, including two trips on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The engaging and informative talk is sponsored by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. It begins at 6 p.m. in the Honors Hall of the Honors College and Residences north building and is open to the public.

Cleave served as a mission specialist on Atlantis, operating its robot arm in 1985 and deploying the Magellan Spacecraft from the shuttle in 1989. She flew alongside Purdue alumnus Jerry Ross, a veteran of seven space shuttle missions.  Cleave also aided in a range of technical and engineering capacities supporting the shuttle program, including as capsule communicator for five shuttle flights.  At NASA, she was responsible for numerous spacecraft exploring the edge of our solar system to the sun’s orbit.  Cleave is a graduate of Colorado State University and received her masters and doctorate at Utah State University.

During her talk, Cleave will present Purdue student Shovik Bandyopadhyay with a 2016-17 Astronaut Scholarship. The award is among the most significant for undergraduates in the STEM fields and recognizes one Purdue sophomore or junior each year.  Bandyopadhyay is a biology major, conducting research in biomedical engineering.  He will help lead the Thursday discussion with Cleave.  Cleave will also be speaking to children on April 5 at Purdue’s NanoDays.  

Media contact: Lindsay Perrault, 765-427-1923, lindsayperrault@purdue.edu 

About the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation:  More than 30 years ago, the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts – Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton – came together with the goal to use their joint credibility to encourage students to pursue scientific endeavors to keep America on the leading edge of technology. That idea led to the formation of the Mercury 7 Foundation, which later became the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). The Foundation builds a mentoring network for Astronaut Scholars to connect with astronauts, each other and innovative technology leaders throughout the nation.