Astronaut Visits Grantham Academy and Hambrick Middle

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Representative Gene Green and NASA astronaut Dr. Stanley Love toured Hambrick Middle School and Grantham Academy on May 10 to speak with students about the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields and graduating from high school.

Over the last 10 years, Representative Green has brought NASA astronauts to local middle schools every year.

“Sometimes the road to careers like being an astronaut can seem out of reach when a student is young. I have been bringing NASA astronauts to local middle schools to show students that they can achieve anything if they work at it.”

Selected by NASA in June 1998, Dr. Love continues his work at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, having earned Individual Performance Awards in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Originally from Eugene, Oregon, Dr. Love completed his first spaceflight in 2008 on the crew of STS-122, logging more than 306 hours in space including more than 15 hours in two spacewalks.

Love showed students a 19-minute video of his first space flight. During that space shuttle mission, Love and crewmember Rex Walheim prepared the $2 billion European Columbus module for installation on the International Space Station. Love had to walk in space to help attach the new section to the International Space Station.

“You can be everything you want,” Love told students. “Science and math are the most important for technology.”

“Our country needs more people who want to be astronauts, who want to be engineers, who want to be scientists, who want to be math teachers,” added Congressman Green. “Our space program is not only important in our own country but in the world. For the last 50 years, the space program has done so many things technologically that has made our lives so much better.”

Pictured above are Congressman Gene Green and Dr. Love with Dr. Rebecca Hoyt, principal at Hambrick Middle School, along with two LOTC cadets and other guests.