NASA Astronauts Bring Wonder of Station to California Bay Area

HOUSTON, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media opportunities are available in the Bay Area as NASA shares the accomplishments, promise and opportunities for research aboard the International Space Station in California during the month of March.

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The agency will showcase its newest exhibit, "Destination: Station," a multimedia exhibit, free with admission at The Tech Museum in San Jose. The exhibit will be open to the public from March 2 through April 15.

Former NASA astronaut Dan Bursch will be the guest speaker at a "sneak peek" exhibit opening from 6-9 p.m. PST March 1. Bursch will discuss his stay aboard the space station and the importance of space exploration. Media interested in attending should contact Roqua Montez, The Tech Museum, at 408-795-6225.

Astronaut K. Megan McArthur will discuss her spaceflight experience and what it takes to be an astronaut from 4-5:30 p.m. March 5 at the San Jose Public Library-Evergreen. McArthur will be available for interviews. To participate, contact Candace Tran at 408-238-0384.

There will be a live event with crew members aboard the International Space Station via televised downlink March 7 at The Tech Museum. During the activities, which begin at 10 a.m., attendees may ask Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank and Flight Engineer Don Pettit about the progress of their mission. To participate, contact Roqua Montez at 408-795-6225.

A Space Research Expo and Twitter Town Hall will be held from 1-5:30 p.m. March 8 at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field. Astronaut Rex Walheim and International Space Station Program Scientist Julie Robinson will be giving presentations from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

At the Twitter Town Hall, NASA fans and followers can ask questions and receive answers from a panel of space station experts. Audiences may learn about the wonders of the space station and how it improves life on Earth. Use the hash tag #AskStation from Feb. 22 until March 5. Log on to Twitter from 4:30-5 p.m. PST March 8 to see if your questions are answered. To participate, contact Huong Nguyen at 650-604-2791.

Walheim, who flew on the final space shuttle mission to the space station, will discuss his experience during a visit from 5-9 p.m. March 9 at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland. To participate, contact Megan Gray at 510-336-7414.

Walheim will read excerpts from the book "Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11," by Brian Floca, and talk about his spaceflight experience from 1-3 p.m. March 10 at the Oakland Public Library-81st Avenue. To participate, contact Derrick DeMay at 510-615-5832.

Bursch will deliver an inspirational speech for students from 1-2 p.m. March 12 at the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology in San Francisco. To participate, contact Karin Lau at 415-749-3530.

For more about Destination: Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/destinationstation

For more about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station

For biographies of the astronauts, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

For more information about the Space Research Expo on March 8, visit:
http://SpaceExpo.arc.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA