WHAT: Awards presentation honoring Florida Tech’s 2024 Astronaut Scholars and lecture from retired astronaut Chris Ferguson on “Impacts & Challenges of Commercial Human Spaceflight.”
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1
WHERE: Hartley Room on the second floor of the Denius Student Center
WHO: Ferguson is an accomplished American astronaut and former naval aviator. Joining NASA in 1998, he was involved with seven Space Shuttle missions over his NASA career. He was pilot for STS-115, a 12-day mission centered on assembling key parts of the International Space Station. He served as CAPCOM – capsule communicator based at mission control – for four missions and was commander of STS-126 in 2008. Leading the historic final Space Shuttle mission, STS-135, in July 2011, Ferguson’s legacy includes a total of 40 days in space and key contributions to space exploration. He retired from NASA in 2011. In 2022, he was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.
MORE: This special event will open with a brief award presentation, followed by Ferguson’s presentation. Guests are invited to stay for light refreshments and a chance to meet Capt. Ferguson following his talk.
