University alumnus and current astronaut Patrick Forrester served as a mission specialist for NASA's most recent mission to the International Space Station, STS-117.
Forrester and six other astronauts were launched into space June 8 on board the space shuttle Atlantis in order to exchange astronauts and complete construction on the International Space Station. After crew members returned, Forrester offered some insight into the success of the mission and explained what it is like to take a walk in space.
Houston, we may have a problem...
The June mission wasn't entirely smooth sailing for the STS-117 crew. Mission Specialist Steven Swanson said the Russian computer systems were not functioning at the time, a problem which still has not been resolved entirely.
Atlantis was also unable to land in Florida because of bad weather. Instead the shuttle was rerouted to touch down June 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Swanson said, however, extra days are always planned for landing because of the possibility of inclement weather.
Despite encountering a few problems, the crew members of STS-117 saw success in some areas that had proved to be troublesome for previous missions.
According to NASA, a solar array had to be retracted during the mission, a task which had been complicated for the earlier STS-116 mission.
Kathy Thornton, University associate dean for graduate engineering programs and former NASA astronaut, explained that an array is a series of panels that fold up on top of one another. Thornton compared an array retracting incorrectly to folding a map the wrong way.
STS-117 also completed further construction at the International Space Station, such as adding truss segments S3 and S4 to the space station. The truss segments, which Forrester said look like steel girders, have solar arrays on them. These additional arrays will provide the space station with necessary amounts of additional energy.
Mission accomplished
Despite a few glitches, Swanson said STS-117 accomplished all of its goals and more.
Swanson said he and Forrester completed two spacewalks instead of doing only one together as originally planned. In a status report, NASA said Swanson and Forrester were able to complete tasks on their last spacewalk that will decrease the workload of future missions.
Forrester said as a mission specialist on STS-117, he was involved in moving and attaching the truss segments, inspecting thermal blankets and preparing the solar arrays.
"I did a little bit of everything on this mission," he said.
While Swanson said most of the astronauts' time was scheduled from when they woke up until they went to sleep, there was a small amount of downtime.
"A very popular thing is just spending some time looking out the window," Forrester said.
He said he also exercised while listening to his iPod, which helped him to relieve stress.
On the other hand, Swanson said "it was fun just to do the work."
Forrester said spacewalks are the highlight of what he does as a mission specialist. He said looking out a shuttle window is like looking out of a window in a house; however, on spacewalks, "you can see the entire earth underneath you."
But it is not just the view that Forrester noticed while outside the shuttle. Forrester said when doing spacewalks, he was very aware of how fast he was moving, explaining that it felt like he was falling toward Earth.
While Forrester had already visited the International Space Station in 2001 as part of his first flight, STS-105, this experience served to increase rather than curb his excitement.
"A real thrill, I think, was to go back up there and to be in a place that I had spent a fair amount of time six years ago," Forrester said.
He added that this opportunity allowed him to realize all that had been accomplished during his six years away from the station.
A long road...
Forrester came to the University in 1987, graduating in 1989 with a master's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
"The University of Virginia was one of my first choices" for graduate school, he said.
Although Forrester graduated over 15 years ago, he still maintains ties to the University. He came to speak at the University after participating in the 2001 flight and said he would love to return again to talk and share stories of some of his experiences.
Forrester said his education at the University aided him on his journey to NASA. He also added, however, that he believes a certain amount of luck was involved, explaining "you definitely have to have things going your way."
Although no school or program can guarantee anyone a spot on a shuttle, Forrester said education is very important in getting there; however, he added that it is also important to do one's best in every situation. Perseverance is also a key ingredient, he said, as it was 10 years before he was accepted into the program in 1996.
It is not known yet whether Forrester will find himself in space again any time soon, but in the meantime, he has other aspirations. While he has had several jobs in the Army and also worked at the Johnson Space Center, he said he would like to teach, particularly at the University.
"That's really where my heart lies," he said.
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