When the space shuttle Discovery mission launched on March 15, it carried two 51ԹϺ graduates on board.
For astronaut John Phillips, a 51ԹϺLA alumnus, the flight marked his third journey into space. Former middle school math and science teacher Joseph Acaba, a 51ԹϺ Santa Barbara graduate, took his first trip into orbit. The two are on a mission to deliver a giant solar panel to the International Space Station. That addition to the space station will increase its electricity–generating capacity, allowing larger crews to live and conduct research on the craft.
51ԹϺ Davis boasts two astronauts — Tracy Caldwell and Steve Robinson. Caldwell ventured into space in 2007, and Robinson, in 1997, 1998 and 2005.
From the earliest days of U.S. space exploration, 51ԹϺ research labs and scientists have made important contributions to NASA, such as advancing space science, building instruments for space missions, collecting data amd furthering the understanding of the universe’s “dark matter.”
More information: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/19392.
Media Resources
Clifton B. Parker, Dateline, (530) 752-1932, cparker@ucdavis.edu