Onboard last Friday’s successful launch of Orion were several small items from the Naval Academy donated by former NASA astronaut and Class of 1973 graduate of the academy, Ken Reightler, who is also a former executive of Lockheed Martin and currently the Distinguished Professor and Robert A. Heinlein Chair in the aerospace engineering department at the academy.
Reightler donated a USNA command coin, an Aerospace Engineering Department sticker, a Naval Academy Rocket Club sticker and a patch from the NASA Launch Challenge capstone project to represent the Academy’s long history of being on the forefront of space exploration.
“The U.S. Naval Academy is proud to be the alma mater of 53 NASA astronauts, the most for any academic institution in this country. We are honored to have the opportunity to include USNA memorabilia in the first test flight of Orion,” said Naval Academy Public Affairs Officer Cmdr. John Schofield. “We look forward to our graduates playing an important role in the journey to Mars and beyond.”
After splashdown and recovery of the capsule by U.S. Navy ships, the items will be stored at the Johnson Space Center where they will be certified as having flown on Orion. They will then be returned to the Naval Academy to inspire another generation of space explorers.
For more information about the Naval Academy please visit www.usna.edu or their Facebook page.
[do action=”blackwall-hitch”/]
