As children, most people are asked what they want to be when they grow up. For many, daydreams revolve around wanting to be a ballerina or an astronaut, without any thought as to how to accomplish these dreams. The latter requires depth of knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)—the kind of education one can receive at RPI but, unfortunately, an education that many Americans do not get. For Leroy Chiao, a former National Aeronautics and Space Association astronaut, it was an interest in flying coupled with a strong STEM core that made his dreams a reality.
This past Thursday evening, DCC 308 played host to Chiao as the third guest in this year’s Speakers Forum series. From a young age, Chiao was fascinated with planes and crafted them out of balsa wood for testing. When he was 8, the Apollo moon landing directed his interest toward becoming an astronaut. After earning bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in chemical engineering, he went to work researching and developing advanced aerospace materials, and even worked on some NASA-sanctioned projects. In 1989, Chiao saw an opportunity to apply for the space program at a time when NASA was creating new teams.
After being selected for the program in 1990, Chiao officially became an astronaut in July 1991 and was joined by classmates primarily in military, medical, and engineering fields. The beginning of his lecture focused on the diversity among his peers, and he made it a point to mention that he was accompanied by international partners on every mission he flew. Regardless of what field you enter, Chiao said, you will be working with people who have different cultural backgrounds and viewpoints, and “in a shrinking world, it is important to keep up with changing technology.” Without his STEM background and constant desire to develop new materials for highly specialized purposes, Chiao may not have had the chance to fulfill his astronaut desires.
The majority of the discussion, however, centered on his experiences of flying in space shuttles and living aboard the International Space Station for six-and-a-half months. Chiao’s first space flight in 1994 was on the 25th anniversary of the manned moon landing—a sign that he was destined for high achievements within the NASA ranks. His first two space walks, referred to as EVAs or extravehicular activities, came in January 1996, and he discovered how beautiful and bright blue the “lip” around Earth is. Chiao flew in three main space flights, logged dozens of hours in EVA time, and helped develop and test EVA tools and space suit modifications.
The career-defining moment came in 2004, when Chiao was chosen as the American representative aboard International Space Station Expedition 10. In order to prepare, the crew spent alternating months in the United States and in Russia, and Chiao was expected to learn the Russian language and culture in order to communicate with mission partner Salizhan Sharipov. In October 2004, the pair was sent to the ISS to perform micro-gravity laboratory experiments, as some of the work could be used for long-distance diagnostics. Aside from the detailed agenda, Chiao also became the first American to vote from space as he was aboard the ISS during the 2004 presidential election. He was sent a Microsoft Word document for a ballot, which he then had to encrypt and return to a county clerk on the ground who had the password.
During the limited free time aboard the ISS, Chiao developed photography skills and tried to identify cities and landmarks both with the naked eye and with high-powered lenses. He showed the audience several pictures of cities from all over the world, and most were taken aback by the level of detail and pure beauty he was able to capture—he even managed to photograph the Chinese shuttle launch pad, which was kept a secret until a few years ago. Unfortunately, Chiao disproved the myth that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space.
Overall, the crowd was enthralled by the accounts of space travel and the future of commercial space flights. The most important message to take away from the lecture, however, was the importance of not only having dreams, but actively pursuing them as well. For RPI students especially, the dream of becoming an astronaut is a very real, yet difficult, possibility. Chiao encouraged everyone to go into a field and occupation that truly interests them, so if the NASA dream does not work out, they will still be doing what they love. It is this passion and persistence that opened new doors and provided life-changing opportunities for him.
