NASA Astronaut Colonel Pamela Melroy always knew she wanted to go into space. She knew this at the early age of ten. "My parents always told me I could do anything I wanted to do." During her recent visit to Churchville-Chili Intermediate School, Melroy encouraged CCIS students, "to look on the inside to find out who you really are." Melroy visited CCIS as part of the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES' Project ADEPT (A Diversified Enrichment Program for Talented) "People Who've Made a Difference" program. She also advised students to follow their interests, "When I was a kid, I was always fascinated with the sky and so I studied astronomy and meteorology and then became a pilot and then a test pilot." Melroy thanked her parents, Helen and Dave Melroy, for their support in helping her achieve her dreams. "We are very proud of her," said her father. "When she was ten, she told us, 'I want to go into space.' Today, Pam is going to talk to these kids about their opportunities to go into space." As Melroy showed students and staff a video of her second mission in space, she explained how she was second in command and the space walk coordinator that took seven astronauts over 250 miles away from earth to the International Space Station and Science Lab. "The walls and floor of the United States lab called Destiny were lined with over 120 science experiments," said Melroy. Being second in command, Melroy's space responsibilities included managing the almost nine hour space walks. "It was my job to make sure that every detail was checked and re-checked before the astronauts went out of the space lab. We had pages and pages of checklists. We celebrated when the two space walkers came back inside safely." She described the process of becoming an astronaut, telling students that the program is expanding to include other professions such as doctors, veterinarians, and even teachers. Melroy asked, "Would anyone like to nominate a math or science teacher to go into space?" The auditorium filled with laughter as almost all the students raised their hand. Melroy went on to explain that NASA is planning a space trip to Mars in 20-25 years. She asked if any CCIS student wanted to be the first to go to Mars. All the students raised their hands in unison. At the conclusion of her presentation, Melroy answered questions from students. They posed questions such as, "Are your muscles sore when you come back from space?" and "Have you ever seen Jupiter?" Melroy explained how gravity makes your muscles heavy and how planets don't look too different in space because the space shuttle is only 250 miles away from earth. Melroy thanked the students and staff at CCIS for the opportunity to visit their school and presented Don Duthe, CCIS assistant principal, with an autographed photo of the last space shuttle she rode into space, the Atlantis. |
