Campus Connection

Astronaut is coming to UWL for summer science camps for kids

Astronaut Mark Lee will talk about his four missions to space, as well as the future of space exploration as part of two science camps offered to children this summer. The Viroqua native will come to UW-La Crosse for the Boys’ Science Exploration Camp and the Girls in Science camp offered through UW-La Crosse Continuing Education and Extension. Both are for students entering grades 6-8, and are offered June 25-26, at UWL. The camps encourage interest in science and math through hands-on learning, experiments and other activities taught by UWL faculty and staff. Lee, who will speak on Saturday, June 25, will share not only his space missions, but also the training required to travel to space. Participants will watch a movie about the history of NASA, which covers everything from the first manned flight through the current space station, as well as the future of space exploration. The camps cost $169 and includes an overnight stay in a residence hall, campus meals, social activities, workshops and other activities. Registration is accepted until Friday, June 3, or until enrollment is reached. For more information visit: Girls in Science Boys’ Science Exploration Camp

About Mark Lee

Lee logged 4,500 hours of flying time as a pilot before joining NASA in 1984. Lee’s first flight onboard space shuttle Atlantis deployed the Magellan, a spacecraft designed to explore Venus’ atmosphere and magnetic field. It also photographed 95 percent of the planet’s surface. His most recent journey to space was on the shuttle Discovery, which aimed to capture and repair the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Lee guided his crew to completing their mission and released the HST at a higher orbit so it could start recording new information. He has 16 hours of extravehicular activity (EVA) — or spacewalks —including an untethered walk to test the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) jetpack. He continued this work with NASA as chief of the EVA Robotics Branch until his retirement in 2001.