Schools
Astronaut to Shamrock Students: 'Don't Give Up'
Col. Eric Boe details his experience aboard the final mission for Space Shuttle Discovery.
Just three months ago DeKalb County native Col. Eric Boe was in outer space, one of six astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Discovery for its final mission. But Friday morning Boe stood in ’s gymnasium, regaling students with insight into day-to-day life in space and motivating them to reach their fullest potential. The hour-long question and answer session was one of a series of stops Boe made at DeKalb County schools this week.
“I would pay (NASA) to do what I do today, but they pay me,” Boe said. “Find those
things you really like to do and pursue those passions.”
Shamrock Middle students anxiously stretched their arms into the air, clamoring to get the astronaut’s attention as he called on them to ask questions. Most simply wanted to know what routine life is like in outer space.
When asked about astronauts’ food selection aboard Discovery, Boe spoke of a wide
variety of dried meals and the absence of one staple of most Earth-based diets.
“One of the interesting things about eating in space is we don’t eat bread,” he said.
Boe explained that bread crumbs that might just be a messy nuisance on Earth become miniature projectiles in the absence of gravity, making tortillas a safer source of carbs for space travelers.
As for sleeping in outer space, that is done in a sleeping bag strapped to the wall, Boe told students. Otherwise astronauts would risk floating into an unfamiliar location in the middle of a night’s sleep.
Boe left more to students’ imaginations when he was asked how astronauts dispose of human waste.
“In space we substitute the gravity with a little bit of suction,” he said.
The astronaut and air force pilot closed his presentation with a more profound message for Shamrock students, urging them to pursue their dreams at all costs.
“Don’t give up,” he said. “Keep pressing yourself and making yourself work harder.”