The recent solar eclipse had the whole world looking skyward, and sent many into flights of fantasy about the heavens and the great expanse above earth’s atmosphere. Few things on our planet enchant and mesmerize like tales of outer space.
For an exciting, delightful and informative keynote speaker, please consider one of the many astronauts who have first hand experience beyond this world!
Colonel Mike Mullane was selected as a NASA Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle Astronauts. Colonel Mullane completed three space missions and logged 356 hours in space aboard the shuttles Discovery and Atlantis before retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1990.
Mullane has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and is the recipient of many awards including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and the NASA Space Flight Medal.
Colonel Mullane has written and published the novel Red Sky – A Novel of Love, Space & War; the award-winning children’s book Liftoff! An Astronaut’s Dream; and a popular space-fact book, Do Your Ears Pop In Space? and his memoir, Riding Rockets, The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut.
As a professional speaker, Colonel Mullane has thrilled tens of thousands of adults and a half million children with his inspirational, motivational and humorous descriptions of the astronaut experience.
Alan Bean was the fourth man to walk on the moon as Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 12, the second lunar landing. Although it has been many years, his footprints still lie undisturbed on the moon’s Ocean of Storms. He later commanded the second Skylab mission in 1973, which lasted a record 59 days.
Chris Hadfield is an Astronaut and the first Canadian Commander of the International Space Station. “Good morning, Earth!” is how Colonel Hadfield—writing on Twitter—woke up the world every day while living for five months aboard the International Space Station. Through his 21-years as an astronaut, three spaceflights, and 2600 orbits of Earth, Colonel Hadfield has become a worldwide sensation, harnessing the power of social media to make outer space accessible to millions and infusing a sense of wonder into our collective consciousness not felt since humanity first walked on the Moon. Called “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Hadfield continues to bring the marvels of science and space travel to everyone he encounters. He has been commemorated on Canadian postage stamps, Royal Canadian Mint coins, and on Canada’s newest five dollar bill (along with fellow astronauts Steve MacLean and Dave Williams).
Captain Scott Kelly’s epic Year In Space solidified his status as one of the greatest pioneers in history. Now, in his acclaimed speech appearances, he brings audiences to the edge of their seats with transcendent insights that inspire and challenge them to dream big, test the status quo, and “choose to do the hard things.” One of a select group of Americans who embody a defining moment in the nation’s history, he captivated the world and seized the imagination of millions during his record-breaking voyage—proving that the sky is not the limit when it comes to the potential of the human spirit. On his trip, Scott, together with his identical twin brother Mark on Earth, paved the way for the future of space travel and exploration as the subjects of an unprecedented NASA study on how space affects the human body. This year, the world awaits another exciting landing with the arrival of Scott’s highly-anticipated memoir, Endurance: A Year In Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, available October 2017. His book has also been optioned as a Hollywood film by Sony Pictures.
Thomas D. Jones, PhD, is a scientist, author, pilot, and veteran NASA astronaut. In more than eleven years with NASA, he flew on four space shuttle missions. On his last flight, Dr. Jones led three spacewalks to install the centerpiece of the International Space Station, the American Destiny laboratory. He has spent fifty-three days working and living in space.