Former NASA Astronaut Roger Crouch will join a team of explorers — from NASA and from Jamestown, Va. — in Baltimore June 9, and will give a glimpse into exploration of the future, tying it to adventures from 400 years ago.
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor will be the second stop on a 2006 traveling tour for the replica Godspeed Ship and its accompanying Landing Party.
Crouch served as a payload specialist on Space Shuttle missions STS-83 and STS-94 (both in 1997), and has logged over 471 hours in space. He has also been NASA Headquarters’ senior scientist for the International Space Station and has served as program scientist on five Spacelab flights.
In addition, two NASA educators will give insight into the connections between NASA explorers and the Jamestown settlers. Anita Davis, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will speak at 1 p.m. June 10 at the Maryland Science Center. Her talk, titled “NASA, Captain John Smith and You: Exploring the Chesapeake,” will enable visitors to trace Captain Smith’s journey and navigate the Chesapeake Bay from space using a copy of a real satellite image of Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Bay.
Becky Jaramillo, from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., will support the educational programs at the Maryland Science Center during the Godspeed Sail by drawing parallels between exploration in 1607 and NASA’s plans to go back to the moon and then to Mars. She will be available from 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. June 10 and 11 at the Maryland Science Center, leading math and science activities and answering questions from visitors.
NASA is partnering with Jamestown 2007 in a number of signature events to underscore the value of exploration — past and present. The Godspeed Sail, planned for May through August 2006, is the kick-off event for an 18-month commemoration recognizing the establishment of the first permanent English settlement in the United States.
A newly-built replica of the Godspeed, the ship that brought the first English colonists to America, is visiting six major east coast ports and serving as a floating museum for thousands of visitors.
The Godspeed will be surrounded by the “Landing Party Festival,” a 30,000 square-foot area featuring live music, family entertainment, historical displays and exhibits. An interactive NASA exhibit right in front of the Maryland Science Center will connect exploration of the past with exploration of the future.
NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration seeks to return humans to the moon and develop the tools needed to further explore Earth, the moon, Mars and beyond. The investigation, reminiscent of the trek to Jamestown, involves searching for water, accommodating human needs, developing new transportation vehicles and establishing a settlement or space habitat. NASA will engage visitors in Baltimore with an interactive exhibit and educational resources, connecting the past with the future and exploring these challenges.
The events in Baltimore will last from June 9 through June 12 and will be followed by similar events in Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Newport, R.I.
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