|
Mark
Kelly, astronaut, test pilot and one half of the world's first space-travelling
twins, will give a talk on June 12 in Cheltenham Town Hall.
From
Iraq to Space
Mark
Kelly has had a fascinating career, initially serving as a pilot
in the US Navy in the first Gulf War.
 We're
thrilled to have a real astronaut appearing at the Science Festival. |
| Clare
Reddington |
He
flew 39 combat missions before being selected by NASA (the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration) in 1996.
In
2001 Kelly flew on the Endeavour space shuttle, which docked with
the International Space Station to deliver supplies and renew staffing.
While
docked he travelled a staggering 4.8 million miles, orbitting the
Earth 185 times.
Talking
from Experience
In
his appearance he will tell of his dream to become an astronaut,
and about his space travel.
Clare
Reddington, the festival organiser, said that she was "thrilled
to have a real astronaut appearing at the Science Festival".
The
visits of astronauts to Britain are organised by the International
Space School Education Trust (ISSET).
Their
aim is to motivate young people around the country using a subject
that "so many people are fascinated by", as Clare Reddington
put it.
Future
Career
Kelly
is currently in training for his next space assignment, in which
he will pilot the Atlantis space shuttle on its 27th space flight,
and his second.
Although
a launch date has not yet been set, it is known that his mission
will be to restock the International Space Station, and also to
test the recent improvements made to the Atlantis shuttle.
These
were made in order to improve the safety of the space shuttles.
Information
about the talk and the rest of the festival, including ticket sales,
is available at
Ìý
|
An
astronaut with the NASA space agency in America is to give a talk
at the Cheltenham Science Festival. 
