BOREN STUDENTS GET OUT-OF-THIS- WORLD EXPERIENCE WITH FORMER ASTRONAUT
It ’ s rare that a room full of fourth- graders sits still or stays quiet for an entire hour . During a recent visit to J . L . Boren Elementary School , former astronaut , Capt . Chris Cassidy , had the students ’ full attention .
Cassidy achieved his rank in the U . S . Navy and performed missions in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL . He was selected for the astronaut program in 2004 and made two trips to the International Space Station . The students at Boren Elementary were excited to hear from him after reading a biography about Buzz Aldrin , the second man to walk on the moon .
“ This was an amazing opportunity for our students to meet someone of Cassidy ’ s stature and experience ,” said Boren Principal Elizabeth Hostin . “ Getting to hear stories from an astronaut and have him answer questions is something
I think our students won ’ t forget .”
During his visit , Cassidy talked about the time he and a fellow astronaut needed to make an unplanned space walk to repair a part on the ISS . He also described what it ’ s like to eat , live and sleep in an environment where there ’ s no gravity .
The entire room let out a groan when Capt . Cassidy shared what happens with the wastewater on the ISS . There were audible gasps and exclamations of ‘ ewww ’ as Cassidy told the students and their teachers that the water gets recycled for the astronauts to drink .
Cassidy is the CEO of the new Medal of Honor Museum being built in nearby Arlington . The museum is scheduled to be complete by March of 2025 .
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