posted 05-19-2016 04:30 AM               

Astronauts to Descend Upon Chicagoland to Promote the Boy Scouts of America, STEM Education and the International Space Station

On Thursday, May 19, 2016, thousands of students in and around Chicago will receive a unique treat: The opportunity to hear from former NASA astronauts and learn about the skills it takes to become an explorer in space.

In all, 13 retired astronauts are intended to visit 13 different schools in the Chicago-land area to discuss how their passion for space drove them to reach for the stars and ultimately reach low-Earth orbit. Each astronaut will provide tidbits on what ultimately inspired them to become an astronaut, what it was like living and working in space, and hopefully inspire young men and women to do the same.

Sounds like an incredible day for the students around Chicago, but how does this relate to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)? Well, the school visits are part of the inaugural Mission One Inspiration Day in coordination with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) – the managers of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. Part of the role of CASIS is to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers through STEM education initiatives.

In 2015, CASIS also partnered with the Chicagoland Boy Scouts and Explorers within Pathway to Adventure Council providing opportunities for these students to send actual research experiments that they design and build to the space station National Lab! Those student payloads (created by Boy Scouts and Explorers) are intended to launch in late 2016 or 2017. However, the collective groups want this to be the start of a long partnership wherein Scouts and Explorers are constantly sending payloads to the ISS. Which brings us to the evening portion of May 19th.

On the evening of May 19, all 13 astronauts plan to attend a gala at the famed Chicago Museum of Science and Industry with the hopes of raising much-needed funds to promote STEM education, in particular through the BSA/CASIS partnership. Individuals in the Chicagoland area will have the ability to meet and hobnob with national space heroes of the past while also supporting opportunities that were never previously available for young students.

In additional to the astronauts being on hand and meeting with those in attendance, a silent auction full of a variety of space goodies and memorabilia will be available, with all proceeds going to the BSA/CASIS STEM partnership. Through the generous donations of those in attendance, it is the hope that BSA and CASIS will be able to fund a variety of Scout-led projects that will ultimately travel to, and be experimented on humankind's only orbiting laboratory.

Astronauts who are presently slated to attend Mission One in Chicago include:

• Kenneth Cameron (Colonel, USMC, Ret.): STS-37, STS-74, STS-56
  
• Gerald Carr (Colonel, USMC, Ret.): Skylab 4
  
• Gregory Chamitoff (Ph.D.): Expedition 17, Expedition 18, STS-126, STS-134
  
• Roger Crouch (Ph.D.): STS-83, STS-94
  
• Brian Duffy (Colonel, USAF, Ret.): STS-72, STS-92, STS-57, STS-45
  
• Edward Gibson (Ph.D.): Skylab 4
  
• Frederick Gregory (Colonel, USAF, Ret.): STS-33, STS-44, STS-51-B
  
• Gregory H. Johnson (Colonel, USAF, Ret.): STS-123, STS-134
  
• Thomas Jones (Ph.D.): STS-68, STS-80, STS-98, STS- 59
  
• Mark Lee (Colonel, USAF, Ret.): STS-30, STS-64, STS-47, STS-82
  
• Jon McBride (Captain, USN, Ret.): STS-41-G
  
• Michael McCulley (Captain, USN, Ret.): STS-34
  
• James Reilly, II (Ph.D.): STS-89, STS-117, STS-104
  
• Winston Scott (Captain, USN, Ret.): STS-87, STS-72
  
• Daniel Tani: Expedition 16, STS-120, STS-122, STS-108
  
• Donald Thomas (Ph.D.): STS-70, STS-65, STS-83, STS-94
  
• Kathryn Thornton (Ph.D.): STS-33, STS- 61, STS-49, STS-73
  
• Alfred "Al" Worden (Colonel, USAF, Ret.): Apollo 15