A former NASA astronaut will be visiting Grahamstown from 1 to 6 August as part of the countrywide National Science Week 2011.
Scifest Africa director Anja Fourie has confirmed that Dr Donald A. Thomas will be giving lectures and visiting host schools during the first four days of the week long event.
A former NASA astronaut will be visiting Grahamstown from 1 to 6 August as part of the countrywide National Science Week 2011.
Scifest Africa director Anja Fourie has confirmed that Dr Donald A. Thomas will be giving lectures and visiting host schools during the first four days of the week long event.
Thomas has an illustrious career behind him, having completed four different shuttle missions: STS-65 Columbia, STS-70 Discovery, STS-83 Columbia and STS-94 Columbia as a mission specialist, notching up over 650 earth orbits and travelling more than 16 million miles through space.
He is currently the Director of the Hackerman University of Mathematics and Science in the United States. “We hope that learners will use this opportunity to learn more about life and work in space and the different careers available in space sciences,” said an excited Fourie.
Careers ranging from actuarial sciences to aeronautical engineering are attainable to those who have a solid basis in mathematics and science. Thomas will be giving a public lecture at Guy Butler Theatre, 1820 Settlers National Monument at 6pm on the 1 of August. The entrance is free but booking is vital to obtain a seat.
For booking and more information concerning the National Science Week 2011 programme do not hesitate to contact Busi Phongolo at the Scifest Africa Office on 046 603 1106 or busisiwe@scifest.org.za.
His visit to Grahamstown has been made possible by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Development, the Department of Science and Technology, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Scifest Africa and Systemic Education and Extramural Development and Support Programme (SEEDS).
Thomas' visit to Grahamstown coincided almost exactly with the end of the 30-year space shuttle programme which completed its last mission as the STS-135 flight of the Atlantis shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Centre early yesterday (21 July) morning.
Commander of the orbiter, Chris Ferguson, said as the Atlantis rolled to a stop, “The space shuttle has changed the way we view the world, and changed the way we view the universe.”
