BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The first Friday in May is observed as National Space Day, an occasion to celebrate space exploration and science, and encourage young people heading into the STEM fields.
Astronaut Terry Hart, of Lower Saucon Township, took the occasion this week to speak with WLVR’s Brad Klein about his past role with NASA — and his present one, teaching at Lehigh University and mentoring a new generation heading into science and technology.
Hart is an alumnus of Lehigh University, where he now teaches in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
He logged thousands of hours of flight time as a jet fighter pilot for the Air Force, and he credits that, along with dual graduate degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering with helping him gain a spot in NASA’s space shuttle program in 1984.
He went to space aboard the Challenger space shuttle — its fifth flight and less than two years before the Challenger disaster that claimed the lives of the seven-person crew.
Among his current projects with Lehigh is a social media campaign called, I ♥ AEROSPACE, in which Hart will share some of his experiences as an astronaut.
"There's a lot of stories that I bring into the classroom ... about what a space mission is like," Hart said.
Lehigh also is launching a new master's degree in Aerospace and Space Systems in the coming academic year as part of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, according to Chris Larkin, Lehigh’s communications director.
Says Hart: "It's really fun to see young people get excited about space."
