One of the highlights of the very good month of May was the arrival in New Zealand of the crew of NASA’s space shuttle Discovery, just back from the International Space Station. The six astronauts – commander Steven Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe, and mission specialists Nicole Stott, Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt, and Stephen Bowen – graciously agreed to spend 10 days here in New Zealand visiting primary and secondary schools to talk about space and science.

From left, astronauts Alvin Drew, Nicole Stott, Eric Boe, Steven Lindsey, Michael Barratt, and Stephen Bowen.

Squired throughout their visit by Ree Varcoe of the Hamilton Central Business Association, the crew spent four days in the Waikato, four days in Christchurch, and two days in Auckland. Over the course of that time the astronauts interacted with more than a thousand students from about 20 different schools. The message at each stop was the same … dream, work hard, reach for the stars, and choose a career that excites you.

At each stop the crew talked about the challenges of living and working in zero gravity, their own particular paths to becoming astronauts, and the ins and outs of space shuttles and space walks. They talked in detail about their last mission delivering and attaching a large multi-purpose module named Leonardo to the International Space Station.

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