posted 04-27-2014 03:52 PM               

NETPark is delighted to welcome a NASA astronaut back to County Durham.

Michael Foale CBE, PhD is a British-American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six space shuttle missions and extended stays on both Mir and the International Space Station. He was the first Briton to perform a space walk, and until 17 April 2008, he held the record for most time spent in space by a US citizen: 374 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes. He still holds the cumulative-time-in-space record for a UK citizen.

In 1999, Foale was a member of space shuttle mission STS-103, during which he conducted an eight-hour spacewalk to replace components of the Hubble Space Telescope. In 2003, Foale was named commander of International Space Station Expedition 8 with cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri. Their six-month tour of duty on the station ended on April 29, 2004. For about a year, Foale was Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Operations at NASA HQ, Washington D.C. He then supported Soyuz and ISS operations and spacesuit development for NASA in Houston. In August 2013 it was announced that he was leaving the agency after a 26-year career to work on developing an electric aircraft to advance green aviation technology.

We are honoured that he has taken the time to join us in the County, visiting schools and the North East Technology Park to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

This event is open to the general public but you must register and bring the ticket with you - we anticipate huge demand for the event and we would advise you arrive in plenty of time to ensure a prompt start.

posted 05-08-2014 02:38 AM            

There were lots of youngsters in attendance and both Michael and the kids seemed to enjoy the Q&A. After which Michael was happy to speak with people individually, pose for photos and sign autographs.