Virtual Author Visit

This year, the 8th graders and certain 7th graders were honored to be visited by astronaut, director, and author, Terry Virts. He visited them by Zoom on Friday, October 16, and promoted his new book How to Astronaut.

Terry Virts is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. Not only is he a NASA veteran of two space flights, he also served in the U.S. Air Force as a test fighter pilot. He has directed a film called One More Orbit. Additionally, he has taken the most photos on a space mission, more than 300,000 photos! He has been in space for seven months and has had many different roles while there. He has piloted the Space Shuttle, commanded the International Space Station, gone on three spacewalks, performed scientific experiments, and worked jointly with many people from all over the world.

Ms. Heckel, the 8C science teacher, said this about the author visit: “In eighth-grade science, we study space systems exploration. I was so excited for the H.B.W. eighth graders to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to speak with and learn from an astronaut. I love how he shared his experiences about living in space, which will give the students context for when we discuss a future mission to Mars in science class.” The visit was the perfect opportunity for the students to become more interested in space during their space unit. The students even got to personally ask Mr. Virts their questions about all things space, and he even told them about his book. The book is about his journies as an astronaut, and it covers everything from training to spacewalking.