Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum i thuoght was very interesting. There were alot of people there so the effect of the museum was somewhat taken away but the exhibits were nice even though we didnt get alot of time to look at them. The McDonals there was ridic.

Ed Lu

I was NASA’s science officer on the Expedition 7 mission to the International Space Station from April until October 2003. Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and I were the first two-person crew to live on board the Station following the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February 2003. I became the first NASA astronaut to both launch and land aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. I was one of the first American astronauts to return from a long-duration spaceflight with almost no loss in bone density and little loss in muscle strength. The crew was given an “exercise prescription” for the workout they had to perform. “And, I did extra on top of that on my own."

Jan Davis

I am a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions, including the first U.S. flight to carry a Russian cosmonaut. Today, I am involved in spaceflight, as the director of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. I flew with the first Japanese astronaut on the Shuttle during my first flight. Persistence was a key to my success. I applied to the astronaut program three times before being accepted. I was a mission specialist on Endeavour STS-47, Discovery STS-60, and Discovery STS-85. Science experiments were conducted on a Spacelab module during the STS-47 1992 joint U.S.-Japanese mission. I served as payload commander on the STS-85 1997 Shuttle flight.

Charles Camarda

I am preparing for my first Space Shuttle flight. I will be a mission specialist aboard STS-114, the Return to Flight voyage of the Space Shuttle program! As a kid, the Mercury 7 astronauts were my heroes. I studied science and engineering, and aimed for a career with NASA. The first time I applied for an opening as a mission specialist in 1978, I didn’t have enough experience at that time and wasn’t selected. I reapplied 18 years later, and that perseverance paid off. I first worked for NASA’s Langley Research Center as a research scientist, working with Space Shuttle-related projects. I have received over 21 NASA awards for technical innovations and accomplishments, an award for one of the top 100 technical innovations of 1983, and hold seven patents. After 2 years of astronaut training, I have worked in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems and Operations Branch, and have been a backup crew member of the International Space Station Expedition 8 crew.

Gene Cernan

I was the last man on the Moon. I was the commander of Apollo 17, the last manned mission to land on the Moon in 1972. Alan Shepard was my hero. I was named as Alan Shepard’s backup commander for Apollo 14. By the time of that flight, I actually had more spaceflight experience than Shepard. As a pilot, I became the second American to walk in space during the Gemini IX mission in 1966. In 1969, Commander Tom Stafford and I piloted a lunar lander to within 8 nautical miles of the surface of the Moon, in preparation for the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Eileen Collins

I was the first female Shuttle pilot, and, after piloting two missions, I became the first (and currently only) female Shuttle commander. I commanded STS-93, on which the Chandra X-ray Observatory was deployed. My hometown is Elmira, New York. In 2005, I will command the STS-114 Return To Flight mission, which will carry a crew of seven to the International Space Station

Septa

Yesterday STI went on a trip to the Septa head quarters in Philadelphia. We exsplored the entire work area including where they fix the buses and trains all the way to where the men and women watch exactly where the Septa buses go. It was very interesting and we also got to meet with college interns that worked for septa all through the company. The trip was very informative and educational.