What's Happening in Concord, CA…

Students at the Sun Terrace Elementary School in Concord, California, got to meet an extraordinary person last week when retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly visited the school to talk about his work.

Kelly has broken all American records for the time spent in space, with a total of 520 days in orbit to his credit. He and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko spent 340 days on the International Space Station, and Kelly flew two space shuttle missions and spent additional time on the ISS to rack up his total.

Approximately 430 students listened intently as Kelly explained the realities of space flight to them. He warned that while space flight seems like a dream job to anyone who has been hypnotized by the fictional missions of the USS Enterprise, the reality is that it is very hard work in a dangerous environment. He reminded the students that astronauts are exposed to extremes of cold and heat, they cannot take a shower or brush their teeth, and even using the bathroom is tricky.

Sun Terrace has just been selected as a STEM (science, technology, engineering,and mathematics) magnet school, which makes Kelly's visit a timely one. The school encourages its students to pursue their studies in depth, and focus on skills employers will need in future.

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