Here’s what’s happening this week in the Chattanooga area.
The flight stuff
Did you know that one of the NASA astronauts “stuck at work” for nine months is a Tennessee native? Barry “Butch” Wilmore was born in Murfreesboro and grew up in Mount Juliet. He and fellow crew member Sunita “Suni” Williams returned to Earth on March 18 after spending nine months on the International Space Station after launching on Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5 for what was supposed to be a week in space. Technical difficulties with the Starliner lengthened their stay. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Wilmore accumulated more than 6,800 flight hours and 663 carrier landings, leading to his selection as an astronaut by NASA in 2000. He used a T-38 flight helmet and blue suit for NASA proficiency training in a Northrup T-38 Talon aircraft from 2012 to 2014. That flight suit is part of the permanent collection at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. Learn more at tnmuseum.org.
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