KSC: Students Participate in STEM Event with Astronauts

A group of students from Westside Elementary, Cedartown, Georgia, visited Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex today. The children grades second through fifth received a guided tour through the Space Shuttle Atlantis reveal by U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® astronaut Hoot Gibson and 2014 inductee Jerry Ross. Both space shuttle astronauts have flown on Atlantis and shared first-hand accounts about the orbiter, the future of spaceflight, and what it takes to become an astronaut. 

They also talked about how STEM education helped them achieve their goals, and encouraged the children to pursue their dreams. “This building here, it’s not just for history but also to engage young people in what their futures can be,” Ross said about Space Shuttle Atlantis.

“Space and science always interested me and this is an experience that makes me want to learn more about it, it’s just awesome,” said Ayron Miller, a fifth-grader from Westside Elementary. School teacher Kim West said, “It brings education to life. They can read about astronauts and space and they can do things in the classroom. Now they can say they’ve met an astronaut and seen the space shuttle up close. It brings history to life.”

This STEM event kicked off the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction weekend. The ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex inside the new Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction in honor of inductees Shannon Lucid and Jerry Ross.