At his third stop in the Tacoma Public Schools on Sept. 17, Dr. Dirk Frimout, the first Belgian astronaut, was greeted by nearly 700 enthusiastic Stewart Middle School students. The miles he traveled from Seattle to Stewart was like a speck of sand on a beach compared to the number of miles Frimout travelled around the earth in 1992—3.2 million miles in 143 earth orbits. And, he logged in more than 214 hours in space serving as a payload specialist on the STS-45 Atlantis on its nine-day journey in space.
Frimout’s visits to Tacoma area schools were part of the Association of Space Explorers’ (ASE) XXI Planetary Congress’ Community Day when the international astronauts and cosmonauts attending the annual congress spread out to visit school children in the area where the congress is being held. This year, the ASE Congress is being held in Seattle from Sept. 14–20.
“There are about 450 international space explorers,” said Frimout. “They have witnessed space and need to bring the information to schools to motivate students to study math and science.” Stewart, Sheridan and Jason Lee—the Tacoma schools that Frimout visited—offer the Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program and MESA staff members coordinated astronaut visits.
“Believe in what you want to do, then do all you can to reach your dream,” Frimout told the Stewart students. Now a grandfather, Frimout went into space just 15 years ago. But, he was only 16 when a Sputnik satellite was sent to space, capturing his interest in space science. It was 20 years later that he fulfilled his dream of traveling in space conducting experiments.
He advised students that studying mathematics was very important if they wanted to go into space and that they need to really enjoy what they are doing. Having the right people working with kids and teachers who have a passion for teaching is also important, added Frimout.
During the question-and-answer session following Frimout’s slide presentation, students asked such questions as: Can you see the Great Wall of China from space? and How do you take a bath in space?
Frimout responded that it is very difficult to see the Great Wall, but under certain sunlight conditions, it can be seen from space. “In space, we use a special soap that does not have to be rinsed off and the water we get as a by-product from the fuel cells can be put on cloths to wash ourselves,” he answered. “We bring everything back to earth except clean water which we can release outside the shuttle. It turns into snow when released in space.”
In answer to a question about the length of his mission, Frimout said the original trip and experiments were scheduled for eight days, but the crew saved enough energy so that they were able to stay a day longer and conduct more experiments.
The astronaut also talked about his team’s experiments aboard the Atlantis shuttle and what life was like during the nine-day voyage. The zero gravity in the space shuttle made doing things completely different from how people do things on earth. In the cockpit, for example, the seven-member crew had to have Velcro patches to tack implements like pens to or they would float around and get lost. Frimout said the crew took nearly 5,000 photographs on their space trip.
The six males and one female formed the two astronaut teams that worked on the 1992 atmospheric science mission. Frimout pointed out that of the 450 space explorers about 10 percent are females. “There is no reason women can’t do the jobs on board the space craft as well as men. Girls who have the ambition to go into space should be encouraged.”
“The first two days or so in space, you have to move carefully and slowly to not upset your equilibrium. Otherwise, you will get a sort of seasickness,” said Frimout. “After that time, it’s really fun to travel in space.”
Background:
Association of Space Explorers
The Association of Space Explorers (ASE) is an international nonprofit professional and educational organization of over 320 individuals from 33 nations who have flown in space. Founded in 1985, ASE's mission is to provide a forum for professional dialogue among individuals who have flown in space, support space science and exploration for the benefit of all, promote education in science and engineering, foster greater environmental awareness and encourage international cooperation in the human exploration of space.
The Planetary Congress is ASE's primary forum for professional exchange among U.S., Russian and international astronauts and cosmonauts. It is designed to promote the exchange of space flight experiences and technical information concerning space operations, scientific research, mission development and astronaut training. ASE members meet to review and discuss developments in their respective space programs, to evaluate existing ASE programs and plan future ASE activities. The week-long congress affords a unique opportunity for communication between members of the international space community, government agencies and the public.
MESA
Washington MESA's mission is to encourage underrepresented students to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematic careers by providing enriching educational opportunities for students in grades K-14 using exemplary materials and instructional approaches.