Infinite Horizons: The Future of Space Exploration
6 PM
February 22, 2024
Helen DeVitt Jones Auditorium
Museum of Texas Tech University
3301 4th Street
Lubbock, Texas 79415
Reception immediately following in the Helen DeVitt Jones Sculpture Court
Free event (no registration needed) Open to the public Free parking *Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis. There will not be any standing room available. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.Join us for an inspiring evening as Captain Scott Kelly joins us in person for a once-in-a-lifetime conversation. We will dive into Captain Kelly's extraordinary career as an astronaut and his experience working in the United States Navy and NASA. We will discuss the importance of astronomy, the future of space exploration for humanity, and unique insights into the challenges and triumphs of life in space.
About Captain Scott Kelly:
Scott Kelly is a former NASA astronaut and retired United States Navy Captain, U.S. spaceflight record holder and an experienced test pilot having logged more than 15,000 hours of flight time in more than 40 different aircraft and spacecraft.
A former fighter pilot, Kelly flew the F-14 Tomcat aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Kelly was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1996. A veteran of four space flights, he piloted Space Shuttle Discovery to the Hubble space telescope in 1999 and subsequently commanded Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to the International Space Station in 2007. His long-duration space flight experience includes two flights on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, launching and landing from Kazakhstan and two stays aboard the International Space Station as commander, the first a 159-day mission in 2010-2011 followed by his recorded-breaking 340-day mission to the ISS in 2015.
During his yearlong mission, known worldwide as the “Year in Space,” he conducted three spacewalks before returning home in March 2016. His Year in Space Mission was chronicled in a TIME Magazine documentary series and an Emmy Award-winning PBS special. Kelly has traveled more than 200 million miles, which is more than twice the distance to the Sun, and he has orbited the Earth more than 8,300 times.
Kelly has received many awards and honors, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. He was on the cover of TIME Magazine in December 2014 and was named one of its 100 Most Influential People in 2015. Kelly also was recognized at the 2015 State of the Union Address by United States President Barack Obama.
Kelly is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a member of the Association of Space Explorers. He is a highly sought-after public speaker who exemplifies leadership while testing the limits of the human spirit and endurance. In 2016 he published a New York Times bestseller memoir Endurance, A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery. More recently he published Infinite Wonder—a collection of extraordinary images he photographed aboard the International Space Station, also a New York Times bestseller. Published in 2022, his most recent book is Ready for Launch: An Astronaut's Lessons for Success on Earth.
For questions about this event, please contact:
Laura Ray Communications and Marketing Museum of Texas Tech University laura.ray@ttu.eduMuseum of Texas Tech University
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Address
3301 4th Street, Lubbock, TX 79415 -
Phone
806.742.2490 -
Email
museum.texastech@ttu.edu