Astronaut Visits Bishop McNamara High School

by Joseph Chapman '06

Astronaut and Catholic school graduate Pamela Melroy returned to her educational roots this week, sharing her experiences of space exploration with students and teachers at Bishop McNamara High School. She captivated a school-wide assembly with footage of her crew eating floating M&Ms in the Space Shuttle. She proceeded to delve into more serious matters returning to theses later at a lunch with students and in classes. She stressed especially the importance of a new generation to direct future endeavors in space.

Colonel Melroy says that from the very beginning, she knew what she wanted to do in life. "I knew from the time I was ten years old that I wanted to be an astronaut," she says, even though at that time women astronauts were unheard of. She attended Bishop Kearney High School in New York, and from there went on to Wellesley College and M.I.T. In the Air Force she flew missions in JUST CAUSE and DESERT SHEILD/DESERT STORM. Later trained as one of the Air Force's elite test pilots, she took part in the group test flying the C-17. Her Chief Test Pilot on that training mission, Col. George London, USAF, Ret. who now teaches physics and math at McNamara. Melroy was selected as a pilot for NASA in 1994, and has since piloted two missions, the STS-92 in 2000, and the STS-112 in 2002. She is currently looking forward to 2006, when she will command the shuttle flight.

According to Col. Melroy, one of the main attributes of an astronaut is simply, "to be kind." This is especially important when the Shuttle crew teams up with the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) who rarely have human contact. The meeting, she says, is "very emotional, we're a small group, and are very close." When the Shuttle crew is ready to leave the Space Station, the parting usually provokes tears on both sides. A great deal of trust and teamwork is necessary. During the Space walk on flight STS-112 to install a truss on the ISS, the space walkers not only relied on her to give them instructions on what to do, but also to make sure that they survived the extremely dangerous experience, one that she says is only slightly less hazardous than ascent or re-entry. "If we hadn't done everything right, someone could have been injured or killed." Still, she says, "it's worth the risk. Every moment in space is precious." Apart from being enormously valuable to science, she points out that space travel can be a bit of a religious experience. "It's very spiritual, very emotional."

One important part of Colonel Melroy's job when she's not flying is to recruit future astronauts. She says that the space industry needs not only people to be future astronauts, but also those with an interest in space who will be willing to work in support areas. Getting humans to Mars is one of NASA's main objectives, and getting there and back will only be half the problem. "Mars will present some big social, political, and legal problems," she says, especially once companies begin sending scientists and start applying for patents. Thus NASA will need not only scientists but also committed government officials, willing to set aside their national differences so that space can continue to be used for the betterment of humanity. Col. Melroy believes that by the time we are ready to send people to Mars, none of the current astronauts will be age eligible to go. Therefore a student currently in middle school or high school will probably become the first person to set foot on the Red Planet, as Col. Melroy told the students of Bishop McNamara High School: "We need your generation to solve the future challenges of space exploration."