KAYSVILLE -- Former Columbia astronaut Kent Rominger agrees with former astronauts Neil Armstrong, James Lovell and Eugene Cernan that canceling NASA's Constellation program would be devastating to the NASA program.
"It will be tragic," Rominger said before talking to 2,000 Davis School District elementary students at Davis High School on Wednesday as part of the 10th annual Utah Space Week.
Rominger, who works for ATK and lives in Salt Lake City, logged more than 1,600 hours in space, flying five space missions as a pilot and crew commander for space shuttle missions from 1995 to 2001.
"The details of President Obama's plan are very sketchy," Rominger said.
Peter H. Jenks, staffer for Congressman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, introduced Rominger to the students.
Jenks talked briefly about how the shuttle program is proposed to come to an end.
"We will do what we can to save that," he said.
Rominger told students they need to take science and math if they want to get accepted into the space program.
"I had a passion when I was a kid and that was to fly," said Rominger, who grew up in Del Norte, Colo., population 1,200.
That passion drove him to apply to the Aviation Reserve Candidate Program in 1979 after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University. Rominger went on to attend the Navy Fighter Weapons School and was assigned in 1987 as F-14 project officer.
He has flown more than 35 types of aircraft, logging more than 7,000 flying hours, according to his biographical information on NASA's Web site.
He said the first time he applied to NASA, he was rejected.
"I persevered," said Rominger, who applied a second time and was selected in 1992.
Rominger talked to the students about the importance of being a team player. Staying in a confined area for one to two weeks with other people requires that everyone get along, he said.
And "if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right," he said about working.
One of the "cool things" about space is being able to "float around," he said.
Rominger said he could spend hours looking out of the space station's windows at Earth. Slides showing Mount Everest, the continents and Great Salt Lake gave students a perspective of what Earth looks like from space.
One student asked how astronauts go to the bathroom in space.
"I always get asked that question," Rominger said.
Vacuum pumps are used, plus sealed containers to keep contents from escaping, he said.
Another student asked what would happen if the parachute on the space shuttle did not deploy when it has returned to Earth.
Rominger replied: "The best answer: It's a very bad day."
Updated 11:02 p.m.
Astronaut speaks to students, talks about NASA's future
KAYSVILLE -- Former Columbia astronaut Kent Rominger agrees with former astronauts Neil Armstrong, James Lovell and Eugene Cernan that to cancel NASA's Constellation program will be devastating to the NASA program.
"It will be tragic," Rominger said before he talked to 2,000 Davis School District elementary students at Davis High School on Wednesday as part of the 10th annual Utah Space Week.
Rominger, who works for ATK and resides in Salt Lake City, logged more than 1,600 hours in space, flying five space missions as a pilot and crew commander for space shuttle missions from 1995 to 2001.
"The details of President Obama's plan are very sketchy," Rominger said.
Peter H. Jenks, staffer for Congressman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, introduced Rominger to the students.
Jenks talked briefly about how the shuttle program is proposed to come to an end.
"We will do what we can to save that," Jenks said.
Rominger told students they need to take science and math if they want to get accepted into the space program.
"I had a passion when I was a kid and that was to fly," said Rominger, who grew up in Del Norte, Colo., population 1,200.
That passion drove him to apply to the Aviation Reserve Candidate Program in 1979 after he received his bachelor's of science degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University. Rominger went on to attend the Navy Fighter Weapons School, and was assigned in 1987 as F-14 project officer. He has flown more than 35 types of aircraft logging more than 7,000 flying hours, according to his biographical information on NASA's Web site.
He said the first time he applied to NASA, he was rejected.
"I persevered," said Rominger, who applied a second time and was selected in 1992.
Rominger talked to the students about the importance of being a team player. Staying in a confined area for one to two weeks with other people requires that everyone get along, he said.
And "if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right," he said about working.
One of the "cool things" about space, is being able to "float around," he said.
Rominger said he could spend hours looking out of the space station's windows at Earth.
Slides showing Mt. Everest, the continents and the Great Salt Lake gave students a perspective of what Earth looks like from space.
One student asked how astronauts go to the bathroom in space.
Vacuum pumps are used, plus sealed containers to keep contents from escaping, he said.
"I always get asked that question," Rominger said.
Another student asked what would happen if the parachute on the space shuttle did not deploy when it has returned to Earth.
"The best answer: it's a very bad day," Rominger said.
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