Dr Andy Aldrin – the son of acclaimed astronaut Buzz Aldrin – at Durham Cathedral , during his recent visit to the region .
RTC North welcomes Andy Aldrin and Jim Christensen to region
TO DURHAM …
AND BEYOND !
RTC North welcomed Dr Andy Aldrin and Jim Christensen to inspire and educate the next generation of space explorers .
Dr Aldrin , the son of acclaimed astronaut Buzz Aldrin , is the president of the Aldrin Family Foundation .
Alongside his colleague Jim Christensen , former director of education at NASA ’ s Kennedy Space Centre and executive director of ShareSpace Education , the pair are embarked on a whistle-stop tour of the North-East , chaperoned by the STEM Education team at RTC North .
Andy joined more than half a billion people watching Apollo 11 land on the moon , with live television coverage capturing the first steps taken by Neil Armstrong and his father , Buzz Aldrin .
Andy remembers being home and watching the news — waiting for the first images to be broadcast so he could watch his father take those momentous steps on the moon .
Dr Andy Aldrin is director of the Aldrin Space Institute and president of the nonprofit foundation which is dedicated to inspiring children ’ s passions for STEM .
During his visit , he discussed his experiences of the space programme , seeing his dad on the moon and his own dream for the future of space exploration .
Dr Aldrin said : “ I am delighted to be in the
North-East to continue our mission at the Aldrin Family Foundation which is to inspire the next generation of space leaders , entrepreneurs and explorers .
“ We believe in igniting a passion for STEM within the hearts and minds of even the youngest of students all the way through college and beyond to working professionals . “ This unique structure ensures we have the trained and talented workforce needed to continue exploring deeper into space .” During his time with NASA , Jim Christensen led a team that designed and constructed the Astronaut Training Experience ( ATX Centre ), an educational experience where visitors can train like an astronaut for a day or spend a day working in a Mars settlement simulation .
As well as visiting schools in the region the pair also experienced Kielder Observatory and stopped by Durham Cathedral during half term to witness the Museum of the Moon , a seven-meter diameter installation using NASA imagery of the lunar surface , created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composter Dan Jones .
RTC North works with thousands of small businesses in the north of England each year to help them innovate , be more globally competitive and grow .
Managing Jamie Ollivere added : “ Small innovative businesses are crying out for young people with a talent and passion for STEM subjects and that ’ s why RTC is so pleased to be working with the Aldrin Family Foundation and Sharespace Education .
“ Over the last three years , Andy and Jim have worked with thousands of our young people with the aim of igniting an interest in science and engineering through the space exploration .
“ I ’ d like to thank them for all they have done and their commitment to the schools of North-East in particular .”
RTC run the STEM Ambassador Hub North East ensuring that world leading STEM Education is for all young people .
For more information on RTC North visit rtcnorth . co . uk .
For information on how you can get involved with STEM visit stem . rtcnorth . co . uk .
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