I am so lucky. I have been able to witness not one, not two, but three historical launches. In 2011, I was able to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor's last launch, the STS-134. Witnessing what is now the past of American human space flight is an experience I will never forget. A couple of years later, ... READ MORE»
My big news! Behind the scenes for the inaugural Orion Launch!
Exciting news! I've been invited to report on the December 4 inaugural Orion launch in Cape Canaveral. This opportunity is amazing, and I feel so lucky! Orion is the deep space vehicle I hope will one day take me and my generation, The Mars Generation, to Mars. This journey gets more and more ... READ MORE»
My East Coast College Tour: MIT, Harvard, Yale and more!
I was incredibly fortunate to go out east at the beginning of the school year to tour a few colleges. It started with me expressing interest in MIT and my mom saying "well if you are interested in MIT I guess we better make sure you have a chance to see the campus." This is typical of how one of our ... READ MORE»
Air and Law Institute Symposium – A Revelation
This past semester I was honored to be a recipient of the Air and Law Institute’s (ALI) Inspiration Scholarship Award. As a part of this award, the Air and Law Institute brought me out to San Diego, California, to attend their symposium. I’ve been really struggling with writing this post because I ... READ MORE»
My Adventure as a Red Cross Social Advocate
At age 16, the support I have received during my journey to Mars has been amazing. With a social media audience of over 160,000 people, I am humbled every single day to be a small part of your lives. I have been told by adults and kids alike that I inspire them, but as I have discussed in my recent ... READ MORE»
Neutral Buoyancy Training in Costa Rica | My Scuba Experience
Neutral buoyancy, or 'weightlessness', has long been a central part of training astronauts and cosmonauts for their forays into outer space. The most common and cost-effective way to achieve a semblance of weightlessness on earth is through neutrally buoyant diving otherwise known as scuba diving. ... READ MORE»
Chatting with Luca Parmitano On the ISS | Recording
Thanks to the entire International Space Station Payload Operations Communications Team (Marshall Space Flight Center - Huntsville Alabama) and Mission Control (Johnson Space Center - Houston Texas) and Penny Pettigrew for helping coordinate this amazing opportunity. I was able to speak to my mentor ... READ MORE»
What’s Your Mars? My TEDx Talk [Video]
Here it is! My TEDx talk from October 25, 2013! I am so excited to share it with you! I hope you will watch it and if you are inspired by it share it with your friends. What's Your Mars? Astronaut Abby TEDx Talk http://youtu.be/FvvVPyVCKRI When TEDx Tampa Bay contacted me over the summer and asked ... READ MORE»
A Visit to Lockheed Martin Aerospace Facilities
One of my favorite parts about my outreach campaign is that I get to educate the public about the future of the United States Space Program. I have been fortunate to tour many facilities, including ATK at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama where they are working with NASA on ... READ MORE»
My Big Announcement…”What’s Your Mars?”
I'm really excited to announce that I've been invited to give a TEDx talk on October 25, 2013 in Tampa Bay, Florida (TEDx Tampa Bay )! It's an honor to be a part of this event, where various speakers will be sharing stories from the past as they look to the future. My talk is titled, ... READ MORE»
