“When you focus on your goals, they can become reality,” said Colonel Searfoss, a former NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force test pilot, during a visit to Mulberry Elementary School in Miami Township on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Colonel Searfoss was visiting the school at the request of a fellow astronaut, Lt. Colonel Steve Heck, a teacher at the school, and one of a handful of teachers selected for the upcoming Pathfinder sub-orbital flight.
“I’m hopeful Steve and I can fly together on the mission, probably in the next few years,” said Col. Searfoss, currently working as the lead test pilot with the commercial space program XCOR.
Colonel Searfoss has piloted two shuttle missions, and commanded a third, logging over 939 hours in space.
“To look out the shuttle window and see the earth is a stunning experience,” he said. “Earth seems very close. What is really spectacular is how the view is always changing. The Himalayan Mountains seem to reach out of the atmosphere and try to touch you.”
“He is very cool, very nice,” said 11-year-old Piper Hamilton, who had the opportunity to ask the astronaut about plasma.
In a nearby classroom at Mulberry, part of the Milford School District, Colonel Searfoss visited 8-year-old Drake Johnson’s classroom.
Drake asked him some rather insightful questions about moisture.
“I really enjoy the opportunity to talk with young people about the importance of science and math,” he said. “Their questions are great!”
Colonel Searfoss said he never tires of space travel and looks forward to his upcoming sub-orbital flights.
“This has been a dream come true,” he said, of the opportunity to be an astronaut. “Yes, it can be dangerous, but we must press forward and take managed risks in our exploration of space.”
He added that the children he talked to today could have an opportunity to travel in space and experience weightlessness through a sub-orbital flight during their lifetime.
More competition in the future will likely drive the cost down from $100,000, making it more affordable for more people.”