January 28,2011 marks 25 years since the tragic loss of Challenger and her crew, but also the genesis of the remarkable Challenger Center for Space Science Education

 

June Scobee-Rogers inspiring the world during one of dozens of interviews on January 28, 2011

Being interviewed in front of the Astronaut Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center, trying to not look freezing cold...

January 28, 2011 marked 25 years since the loss of the Challenger crew. I was fortunate to spend the day with Dr. June Scobee-Rogers, who along with other Challenger crew family members took this incredible loss and created one of the world’s most inspirational learning organizations, the Challenger Center for Space Science Education (www.challenger.org). Beginning with 0530 AM interviews in Florida through a mid-day visit to Houston’s Challenger Learning Center (the world’s first), and finally ending in Albuqueque, NM (the most recent learning center), June was inspirational and energetic all day long! Many thanks also go out to Gwen Griffin and her team at Griffin Communications, Miles Obrien and David Waters (for their Spaceflight Now webcast in Houston) and Marion Epps (of Epps Aviation in Atlanta, for graciously providing air transportation to June, Gwen, Dan Barstow and myself).

We have much to look forward to at the Challenger Center, including aspirations to grow substantially to reach underserved communities around the nation: http://www.spacenews.com/profiles/110131-scott-parazynski.html

Test flying a Rotorway kit built helicopter in Chandler, AZ; doors open and just 45 degrees!

I’m just beginning a very exciting new job here in Houston, so I’ve taken a few weeks in between to devote some time to writing about some of the fun and unusual life experiences I’ve had thus far. I did some focused writing while sequestered away in Arizona, which also gave me the opportunity to test fly a helicopter I’ve always wanted to build, a Rotorway A600 Talon. I only have a few hours of helo time, but it seems the ultimate way to travel – low, slow and scenic, with the ability to touch down most anywhere. Hopefully in the next couple of years I’ll get a chance to build my own, as the demo flight was fantastic.

In closing, I think it’s also important to remember not to take yourself too seriously…

Wilma!!!

It’s been quite awhile since my last blog post, but not because I haven’t been busy. Rather, I’ve been moving at nearly Warp Speed with travel, some speaking gigs and a brand new job — not to mention the Christmas holidays… Above you can see the placard outside my brand new office at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston, where I’ll be involved in developing technologies that we hope will reshape medical care for all of us. Methodist Hospital is one of the very finest clinical hospitals in the country (and the known Universe), and they have established a major research institute, led by world-renowned nanomedicine expert Dr. Mauro Ferrari (my good friend and now boss).

I’m thrilled by this exciting opportunity to work with some of the very best and brightest physicians and scientists in the world. I’ll be getting oriented and working part time at Methodist for a few weeks, while I devote some serious hours to writing the autobiography I’ve been talking about (but not writing) for years… I’ll be onboard at the institute full time by mid-February, hopefully with a substantial portion of the manuscript down on paper. I truly enjoyed my (almost) 2 years at Wyle Integrated Science & Engineering in Clear Lake, TX, where I worked with wonderful people and learned a great deal from some outstanding mentors.

I still have my fingers on the pulse of spaceflight though, and it’s been fantastic to have my good friend and STS-120 crewmate (and recent ISS Commander) Doug Wheelock back on Terra Firma — telling tall tales, and reliving past glories. One of the beauties of this age of global and intergalactic communication is the ability to reach space. Both Scott Kelly (current ISS Commander) and Paolo Nespoli (ISS flight engineer) have been in touch, and both “friended” me on Facebook from the Cosmos! I’m also looking forward to giving talks at the Commercial Human Spaceflight Technical Panel (in Boulder, CO) and the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (in Orlando, FL) in the coming weeks…

This January 28th marks the 25th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy, from which the brave families turned devastation into inspiration. I’ll be heading to the Kennedy Space Center at the end of the month with founding Chair of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, Dr. June Scobee-Rogers. After a remembrance ceremony there, we’ll head back to Houston for events planned at our local Challenger Learning Center. Please visit www.challenger.org for more details about our organization that currently reaches 400,000 school children each year, motivating them through hands-on mission simulations throughout our solar system.

In closing, Merry 2011 to one and all!

Scott

“Traditional” transition of leadership from outgoing Challenger

Chairman Bill Ready to newbie Scott Parazynski

  

At the annual meeting of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education (CCSSE) a couple of weeks ago in St. Louis, which included flight directors from most of our 50 learning centers around the world, I received the Chairman’s official light saber! We have an amazing and dedicated board of directors, but obviously we’re big on fun and low on formality! It’s my great honor to help continue the legacy created by the families of the Space Shuttle Challenger in the aftermath of the tragedy, and led so ably by Mr. Bill Readdy these past several years. 

June with the very first copy of Star Challengers!

One of the highlights was the “world premiere” of June Scobee-Roger’s new book, “Star Challengers.” The first books arrived from the printer during our board meeting. I’m the proud owner of an autographed first edition! http://blogs.challenger.org/2010/08/star-challengers-book-moon-base-crisis.html

Chuck Berry still has the moves and the music at 83!

I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Chuck Berry, the inspiration behind Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and generally The Origins of Rock. Life seems to continue to take amazing twists and turns for me — not sure how I got so lucky, as I’m certainly not worthy — and so one evening during the Challenger meetings I was surprised to find myself at Blueberry Hill, in the front row with June, rocking out as the 83 year old Mr. Berry rocked the house! Whatever fountain of youth he’s found, I want some… 

Meanwhile, back in Houston, they’ve announced an opportunity to suggest wake-up music for the Space Shuttle crews of the final missions. Having been the beneficiary of great wake-up calls on 4 of my 5 missions (one flight involved ’round-the-clock operations, so we didn’t have music piped up to us), John Matson of Scientific American interviewed me for his article on the subject: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nasa-shuttle-music My all-time favorite wake-up tunes were Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xotoDy5806Y) and the song my son Luke sent before the final spacewalk of my career, the theme song to Star Wars! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjMNNpIksaI)

I recently had a chance to get back to the recording studios of Purple Songs Can Fly, located at Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center. I’ve been inspired for several years by the talented children and their mentor/creative genius, Anita Kruse. Kids undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments can take their minds to another place and create beautiful music, recordings of which I’ve taken with me to space, and more recently to the summit of Everest. Several of my favorite kids on the planet gave a concert while I was there, and I shared a few stories from the mountain with them (and returned a CD that had been to the top). http://purplesongscanfly.com/photos.html

Who's that good looking astronaut hiding behind that floating corned beef sandwich??!

A good friend emailed me a book review (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/06/RVJE1ECBE5.DTL) with a doctored photograph that bears striking similarity to yours truly. The book review suggests dramatic sensationalism with a number of over-recycled themes, like the corned beef sandwich on Gemini 3, so I won’t be rushing out to buy a copy… Please send me yours and I’ll recycle it for you!

I was also recently back at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex to give a few talks to guests from all over the world. It was great to see my buddies Nick, Jon, Livia and others while there. As I left KSC my last visit in May, they informed me that the ladies at the VC had come up with a new nickname for me. This group never misses an opportunity for a practical joke, so they kindly had a new set of wings made up for my flight suit!

I will never wear this in public!

Luke pointing out the contrail from "the best seat in the house!"

Also while down in Cocoa Beach, there just happened to be an ATLAS 5 launch. It turned out to be at a rather uncivilized hour of the day, just after 7 AM, when I’d much prefer to be deep in REM sleep. On the bright side, there happened to be a Starbucks in the lobby of our hotel, so I rousted my son and we were able to watch/feel it soar to orbital velocity while wading in the surf, camera in my right hand and Caramel Macchiato in my left… Absolutely spectacular!

Hypoxic euphoria after completing a 21-year quest...

There aren’t that many events in life that take over two decades to complete. Usain Bolt finishes a 100-meter dash in a mere 9.72 seconds. Two cells miraculously emerge into a newborn in a quick 9 months, after just a few hours in the making (“your mileage may vary”). Kepler established that the Earth orbits the sun in 12 months. High school, college and medical school take roughly four years apiece, while a full sunspot cycle takes a long 11 years. So it’s with some excitement and relief that my Colorado Grand Slam is now complete after 21 trips around the sun.

Luke (in red) and his buddies in Denver, on the way to summer camp

I’ve had the joy of sharing the high Colorado Rockies with dozens of friends over the years, some 14,000-foot peaks being easy lung busters and a few becoming quite epic challenges. This past week I took my son Luke and three of his buddies to summer camp in Colorado, and made the most of the dwell time by topping out on the final three mountains on the 59-peak list (those being North Massive, Conundrum and South Maroon Peak).

Nicky, Cindy, Scott, Bob and Don atop Mount Massive

Some great friends, including my best college buddy, fellow Everest climbers, mountain rescue team members and some NASA rocket scientists, joined me on my way to the finish line. My sincere thanks to Don, Bob, Nicky, Jaroslaw, Keith, Cindy, Alan, Steve and Tim — and my many other Mountain Compadres over the years. Here are some photo highlights of the trip, which involved over 16,000 feet of vertical in 4 days, crossing over 6 summits in excess of 14,000 feet:

Jaroslaw and Bob on the grassy slopes below (South) Massive Peak

Upper face of (South) Maroon Peak, with Tim, Steve and Scott barely visible on the traverse

Scott & Cindy finish their Grand Slams the very same day --- it just took me four times as long!

It was an exhilarating feeling to take those final steps to the top of (South) Maroon Peak outside of Aspen. The clouds were rushing around the summit, bathing the long, narrow and steep apex in an eerie light. My overachieving friend Cindy Howard, whom I’d gotten to know when I led an effort to rename a Colorado summit in honor of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) crew, joined me on top, completing her Grand Slam in just 5 years! [Columbia Point dedication link: http://silgro.com/ColumbiaPoint/index.htm] We took some happy hero shots on top, and thanks to good cell coverage and cool technology, I posted our photo together from the summit of #59. Congratulations, Cindy!

"The hills are alive with the sound of muzak..." (!)

I love these mountains too much to say that I’ll never return. I hope my next circuit around these peaks will be with my son, and hopefully it won’t take another 21 years to finish the list! I had my handy SPOT tracker with me, generating an electronic breadcrumb trail along the way (http://www.spotadventures.com/user/profile?user_id=42312) Nicky “Haus Frau” Messner (Everest summit in 2008) also posted a great Picasa album from the trip here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=HausFrauNicky&target=ALBUM&id=5500075723366428113&authkey=Gv1sRgCJOHk67w2t7gbQ&feat=email

My good friend Bob “BoBo” Lowry, who’s life motto is “Climb High, Don’t Die,” has a blog here:  www.boblowrys.blogspot.com

More general information about climbing Colorado’s 14ers can be found at: http://www.14ers.com/

 

 

Nearing summit as the sun slowly rises...

 

There are times in life when you just have to marvel at human capacity to overcome the most extreme adversity. Last week I had the honor of supporting four distinguished US service veterans to the summit of 14, 411-foot Mount Rainier. Their improbable path to the summit was by way of serious combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they narrowly escaped death, followed by countless surgeries and months of rehabilitation. And a degree of physical and mental pain that I can’t even begin to fathom. Bryan, Jay, Kevin and Mike aren’t like you and me, or anyone else I’ve ever met. Their tremendous acts of bravery in the war against terror — which they recount with modesty and candor — make your jaw drop in awe, but their resolve in healing is perhaps even more impressive. 

Camp Patriot was organized to benefit some of our 2.3 million wounded veterans, enabling them to get out into the wilderness for a variety of adventures, the most extreme of which is the annual Mount Rainier ascent. Micah Clark, Executive Director, and a team of devoted guides and other volunteers hit a home run with another successful summit climb. All four vets tagged the summit in fine form; Jay even did so with a nasty case of bronchitis, which is impressive given the very thin air of the summit.

Jay Redman atop Mount Rainier

Jay isn’t the kind of guy who gives up easy, you see. Jason “Jay” Redman, a Navy Lieutenant and SEAL, was caught in a fierce firefight in Afghanistan. Separated from some of his team, Al-Qaeda gunfire ripped his face and left arm to pieces, and he very narrowly avoided becoming a fatality of war. Thinking of his faith and family in what might’ve become his final moments on Earth, he somehow held on. Forty-plus surgeries later, including 7 months with a tracheotomy breathing tube, he’s an inspiration to all wounded warriors. A large orange poster board that he displayed outside his room at Bethesda Naval Hospital says it all about Jay:

‘‘Attention to all who enter here. If you are coming into this room with sorrow or to feel sorry for my wounds, go elsewhere. The wounds I received I got in a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom of a country I deeply love. I am incredibly tough and will make a full recovery. What is full? That is the absolute utmost physically my body has the ability to recover. Then I will push that about 20 percent further through sheer mental tenacity. This room you are about to enter is a room of fun, optimism, and intense rapid regrowth. If you are not prepared for that, go elsewhere.”

 

Kevin Ivory victorious on the summit of Mount Ranier --- Kev has my ice axe and flag in his left hand (flown during Space Shuttle mission STS-86, and taken to the summit of Everest with me in 2009)

 

 

Kevin Ivory, a Marine medic (Petty Officer Third Class) on his 3rd tour of duty in Iraq, was out on patrol in Fallujah when the Humvee he was driving ran directly over three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), launching him and his buddy Phil 10 feet in the air. Severely wounded by shrapnel blast, he found the strength to render aid to Phil, who’d lost his arm in the attack. Despite Kevin’s severe injuries, blood loss and shock, he managed to place and maintain a tourniquet on his buddy’s arm, drifting in and out of consciousness. When rescue crews found the pair, an unconscious Kevin still had a tight grip on Phil’s brachial artery, thereby saving his life. Although Kevin emphatically said he’d never climb a mountain like Rainier again (he mentioned Mauna Kea in Hawaii as an option — basically anyplace warm!), seeing him celebrate on the summit was a beautiful thing, and clearly a milestone event in his life. 

Celebration on the Summit: Mike Day (lower right), Kevin Ivory (center) and Bryan Stuart (far right); Scott, Bob and Erica also raising the flag...

21-year Navy SEAL veteran (Master Chief) Mike Day makes Rambo look like a male figure skater doing a Triple Salchow with a Half Gainer (or whatever it is those little guys do). Mike faced such overwhelming odds in an Al-Qaeda firefight in Fallujah it’s hard to fathom it, especially given the humility in which he recounts his fateful day. Riddled with bullets and presumed dead (he took 27 bullets in total, 16 to his body and 11 to his body armor), he somehow rallied and took down his four assailants. Had his valor been witnessed by two independent sources, as is required for the Congressional Medal of Honor, it is likely he’d have received our nation’s highest honor for valor in combat. Mike made it to the top in fine form, and apparently liked it well enough to want to take a friend and fellow wounded warrior (double lower extremity amputee) to climb Denali, an even colder and tougher destination. That’s just the kind of guy he is — as a retired SEAL, he works with a non-profit to help other wounded veterans get the services they need to transition back into civilian life.

Bryan Stuart, also a Navy SEAL, was hard hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) during his first tour of duty, and has stoically fought  to recover strength and function following multiple injuries and other issues. An electronics and communications expert on the SEAL teams, he hopes to go back to college soon to pursue an electrical engineering degree as his wife completes medical school. SEALs are famously tough: Bryan never showed any weakness or suffering on the climb. Although a quiet individual by nature, I could tell by his proud smile that he was powerfully changed by the summit experience. What’s more, the experience left the entire team of guides and volunteers (including Micah, Bill, Curtis, Art, Ann, Erica, Heidi, Tim, Kegan, Walt, Bob and me) with a profound sense of awe — we most likely derived even greater uplift from the climb than the vets!

Please consider giving generously to Camp Patriot so they can help others — “Giving back to those who have given.” www.camppatriot.org

Brave American military men and women proudly serve us around the world, including in the direct line of fire in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a result, there are over 2.3 million disabled veterans in the US, and this number continues to grow. Thankfully there is an incredible organization called Camp Patriot (www.camppatriot.org) that strives to honor and support them by providing meaningful outdoor activities, regardless of their injuries.

I met Founder and Executive Director Micah Clark last summer at a conference, and immediately wanted to do what I could to help. He and fellow mountaineer Curtis Fawley asked me to join their 2010 Mt. Rainier Summit Challenge, and it took all of a microsecond to consider my reply. I’m deeply honored to help guide a group of remarkable Americans to the top of 14,411-foot Mt. Rainier, as well as give a keynote at their annual fundraiser tomorrow evening in Seattle: Camp Patriot Program 7.8.10

The Summit Challenge Team includes four (dis)abled servicemen, among them Navy SEALs and 1 Navy Corpsman (medic):

Navy Corpsman Kevin Ivory

Navy SEAL Jason Redman

Navy SEAL Mike Day

Navy SEAL Bryan Stuart

We’ll also be supported by my friends at International Mountain Guides (IMG, www.mountainguides.com), with whom I climbed Everest, and the fine folks at Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI, www.rmiguides.com).

Camp Patriot not only enables adventures such as this Rainier ascent, they aspire to build a mountain lodge to support thousands of other disabled veterans in the years ahead. Please consider giving generously: http://www.camppatriot.org/donations.html

TRACK OUR CLIMB IN REAL TIME:

In the days ahead I’ll post thoughts and photos from the climb here. In the meantime, you’ll be able to track our progress via my handy SPOT Messenger, dusted off from my last Mt. Everest climb: http://www.spotadventures.com/user/profile?user_id=42312

Check out these other links, including video of our team training in Arizona a couple of months ago:

• http://www.azfamily.com/video/featured-videos/Vets-that-form-Camp-Patriot-97830019.html
• http://www.twitter.com/camp_patriot
• http://www.myspace.com/480215603

Monty stoically awaiting a helicopter Medivac from Everest Base Camp

Moments ago I learned of the death of a good friend and 2008 Everest teammate, Monty Smith. He took his own life just days before his 49th birthday for reasons that I’ll likely never know. He was the perpetual optimist, the constant conversationalist and one of the most outwardly enthusiastic people I’ve ever known. He was a successful businessman, a life-saving mountain rescue leader, and a dedicated family man.

He and I shared considerable adversity at the completion of our time on Everest together: I had ruptured a disc in my low back and had to limp down from Camp III, and he had a fluke nosebleed in the cold, dry air of extreme altitude. In the course of a few hours at Camp II (21,500 feet above sea level), he bled out perhaps 20% of his blood volume before we could get it slowed down. 

I was thankful to Monty for three important reasons: for the shared friendship and shared regret of missing out on the summit together, and for a ride back to Kathmandu in his Medivac helicopter (instead of a 36 mile trek with a crippled back). I always assumed he’d eventually make his way back to Everest to “finish the job,” as he was an extremely accomplished mountaineer, but this was unfortunately not to be…  

Monty and I celebrating our expedition at the world-famous Rum Doodle with an Everest beer, as I'll always fondly remember him

I’ve never understood what would prompt someone to take their own life, particularly someone as broadly accomplished and positive as Monty was. I’m so very thankful to have known him, and my prayers go out to his family and other friends.

Life certainly has its ups and downs, but on average it should be a great celebration. If you’re having trouble seeing this, please seek out the help of friends or counselors.

Your many, many friends will miss you very much, Monty. Climb on.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Monty’s Obituary is inspiring: Monty Smith obituary

I was at work this afternoon when my very good friend and STS-120 EVA partner, Doug “Wheels” Wheelock (a.k.a. “Tike”), hightailed it off the planet from the Baikonur launch complex in Kazakhstan.  The replays on NASA TV show him grinning ear to ear, hamming for the cameras, fist bumping, thumbs-upping and generally as ecstatic as a guy can get. I’m thrilled for him and his crewmates, Fyodor and Shannon. Not to mention a healthy dose of envy… They’re thankfully safe on orbit now, en route to the International Space Station, where they’ll spend 6 months on duty. Godspeed!

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/06/live-soyuz-tma-19-launch-to-iss

Follow Wheels during his expedition via Twitter: http://twitter.com/Astro_Wheels

_________________________________________________________

I sent him an email about 36 hours before his launch, and I received this cool note:

“We’re ready to light up the night!

Sure miss you, Spike.  Going in front of the Russian Commission in just 20 minutes, a little bit nervous.  T minus 33 hours and counting…time to rock!

Tike”

International Science Conference for Children, Gdansk

I recently visited Gdansk, Poland, to speak at the International Science Conference for Children (“Międzynarodowej Konferencji Naukowej dla Dzieci”), held at the Polytechnic University of Gdansk. The brainchild of Dr. Agata Hofman, it pulled science-inspired kids from all over the region to participate in lectures, robotics, chess competitions and much more. Most of the lecturers were the kids themselves, who had studied at great length to prepare their topics and educate their contemporaries! The audience included students from all academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, including several from local orphanages and those with special physical disabilities. 

I was asked to give the opening keynote to a very large group of young scientists, and never have I seen so much enthusiasm to learn — every single kid in the auditorium had his or her hand up to ask a question. When it was announced that I could only take 10 more questions, the anxiety and tension in the room grew exponentially as students tried to capture the attention of the microphone holders… Afterwards I met 100′s of kids around the conference, including attending one of the lecture series where the presentations were given in English — pretty remarkable for a pre-teen to do a serious research project, and then present your results and flashy PowerPoint in a foreign language!

Upon arrival in Poland, my hosts asked me what I’d most like to see in Gdansk. A frequent traveler, I had read up on the Old City and wanted to walk its cobblestone streets and see the famous cathedrals, but I was most interested in seeing the shipyards, made world famous by Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement — a key ingredient in the demise of the Iron Curtain. Not only did I get a chance to see these sights, they upped the ante by calling the office of one of my longtime heroes, President and Nobel Laureate Walesa himself. 

A snapshot from Lech's smartphone, alongside some of my wonderful hosts...

What a thrill to get to spend some quality time with a living legend, literally someone who changed the world in remarkable ways. I was immediately impressed by the charismatic 67 year-old, tech-savvy President Walesa: he had his aid take his smartphone and snap a photo of our group upon arrival. With a couple of taps on its pressure-sensitive screen, he smiled broadly and then took us behind his desk to see his monitor, where within seconds our group photo appeared on his photo-blog: http://www.lechwalesa.blip.pl/ 

Visiting the former President in his office in old town Gdansk

Although it seemed he understood English to some extent, one of my hosts (Ewa, pronounced “Eva”) translated our half hour exchange, on topics ranging from the majesty of the Universe and the Earth from space, to what he was passionate about in this day and age — he now travels widely to speak on his vision of a “United States of Europe” as a means to adopt a common set of values and remain globally competitive. I certainly hope I can keep the same level of passion and engagement when I reach his age!

I also visited the beautiful town of Tczew (“Chev”), perhaps a half hour drive from Gdansk without traffic. I had the chance to speak to a very large auditorium full of students there, who also treated me to specially prepared songs, dance and space-themed artwork. I hope to post some of the art show’s top entries on my web site very soon… Perhaps the best part of the trip was being invited into the home of my hosts, Agata and Maciej Hofman (with beautiful kids and grandmother), for two home-cooked dinners, including venison stew, roast duck and wild pheasant (I’d never had pheasant before, but it was amazing…). My Everest 2008 buddy of Polish descent, Jaroslaw Hawrylewicz, also happened to be in town from NYC — fun to relive the experience with a great friend!

My hosts also arranged a special mass and organ concert at Oliwa (“Oliva”) Cathedral, one of the oldest brick churches in Europe, with one of the finest organs in the world (carved, mechanical angels move in synch with the melody, and the organ itself has over 7800 pipes!).

How’s your Polish? Mine is nonexistent, although I can make some headway with the locals speaking Russian. Here are a couple of TV broadcasts while I was there, the first one being Poland’s top morning show (“Good Morning Polska?): 

http://dziendobrytvn.plejada.pl/24,34045,news,,1,,konferencja_dla_dzieci,aktualnosci_detal.html

http://pomorska.tv/Dzie%C5%84_Dziecka_na_politechnice,1049,polecamy.html

A year ago today I was packing for my summit bid on Mount Everest, full of excitement and significant trepidation. A week later I was able to get past my earlier failure and injury, reaching the top just prior to sunrise on 20 May 2009. My good friend Sabrina Singh thought the occasion of this anniversary warranted a reunion of sorts, bringing together the two trekking teams that visited me at Everest Base Camp in 2008 and 2009. As such, I’ll be giving a presentation at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s IMAX theater next Thursday evening at 6:30 PM. The public is welcome: if you’re in town, please come on by — kids welcomed and encouraged!

From the NASA Johnson Space Center “JSC Today” Newsletter:  
Astronaut Scott Parazynski will celebrate the one-year anniversary of his Mount Everest Summit with personal photographs and video taken during the 2009 trekking season. Also learn how your fellow team members from JSC, Goddard and Marshall hiked to the Base Camp of Mount Everest to visit Scott in Nepal in 2008 and 2009. Bring your families for this free, special event in the IMAX theatre of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. 

Where: Houston Museum of Natural Science 
5555 Hermann Park Drive 
Houston Texas 77030-1799 

When: May 20 at 6:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m.)

http://www.hmns.org/education/children_families/special_events.asp#5-20