PHOTO: Space Shuttle Atlantis — The space shuttle Atlantis is seen on launch pad 39a of the NASA Kennedy Space Center shortly after the rotating service structure was rolled back, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, Cape Canaveral, FL. Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 2:28p.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Photo courtesy of NASA/Bill Ingalls.

‘Found in Space’ panel to celebrate shared history of UHCL and NASA Johnson Space Center

By Kirk McDaniel On Oct 28, 2019 231 0

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) was founded to connect the engineers and scientists working at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to higher education. Throughout the 45 years that UHCL has been in existence, a strong bond with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and JSC has existed. The Clear Lake Association of Senior Programs (CLASP) plans to honor that bond with the upcoming event “Found in Space,” which is part of the CLASP speaker series.

A panel of current and former NASA employees will look back on their time working for the space program and being at UHCL. Current NASA Flight Director Pooja Jesrani, and former Flight Director and UHCL alumna William D. “Bill” Reeves will be included on the panel to discuss their experiences.

Evelyn Miralles, associate vice president for strategic information initiatives & technology, will be moderating the event. Before coming to UHCL, Miralles worked at NASA for 27 years where she created Virtual Reality spacewalk simulations and served as a technology strategist. She earned her B.A. in Computer Information Systems and Master of Business Administration from UHCL.

Jesrani has worked for NASA for over 15 years and is the first South Asian woman to serve as a flight director. Jesrani and five other flight directors will be responsible for leading mission control in various upcoming missions.

During the 34 years he worked at JSC, Reeves served as flight director in 12 manned space flight missions including phase one of the human space flight program, helping to guide the program during its infancy.

“I got [to NASA] in 1967 in the Apollo Program, and have experiences through Apollo and Skylab and in Shuttle…” Reeves said in a 1998 interview with Mark Davidson with the ISS Phase 1 History Project.

Program Manager of Strategic Partnerships at UHCL and organizer of “Found in Space” Alexis Nwagui said topics that will be covered during the event focus on “the challenges and experiences faced at NASA.”

“Students can expect to leave with a better understanding of how higher education prepared members on the panel for a career at NASA,” Nwagui said.

This event aims to provide students with an insight into the past, present and future of space exploration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Aerospace Consultant Ken Young worked at JSC in the early stages of the space program as a mission planner and encouraged students interested in aerospace to attend.

“Events like [Found in Space] are an opportunity for students interested in aerospace engineering to learn from the past success and failures at JSC,” Young said.

“Found in Space” will be held in the Bayou Building’s Garden Room, on Monday, Nov. 11, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

“Found in Space is an excellent event for students at UHCL who have any interest in engineering, space or the shared history between the university and Johnson Space Center,” Nwagui said.

CLASP offers free monthly presentations with the purpose of promoting “life-long learning.” Events are open to all members of the community and cover a wide range of subjects.

For more information on CLASP events, visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/extended/clasp or stop by the Office of Strategic Partnerships in room 2504 in the Bayou Building.