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Students tour NASA for “SALUTE” event

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[Left] NASA engineer Matt Berry welcomes an enthusiastic student aboard the DC-8 [right] Students witness an ER-2 flyover.
[Left] NASA engineer Matt Berry welcomes an enthusiastic student aboard the DC-8. [Right] Students witness an ER-2 flyover.
EDWARDS AFB – Hundreds of local students and their chaperones toured NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Monday as part of a Science and Aerospace Leaders United as Team Edwards (SALUTE) event.

The daylong event was organized by Zachary Wright, Alexander Chin and Brittany Martin, the three employees selected for NASA’s Foundation of Influence, Relationships, Success and Teamwork (FIRST) program.

Visitors about the DC-8.
Visitors aboard the DC-8.

Every year, employees selected for this leadership development program must organize a project at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. For their project, Wright, Chin and Martin arranged an open house for students in the Muroc School District, base personnel, military and their families to see what NASA is doing at Edwards Air Force Base.

The mission of the event was to increase the community’s awareness of NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s missions and capabilities, Martin said.

Students tour NASA 8“We had three goals. The first one was to increase the basewide awareness… the second was to increase our own center’s awareness, get people knowledgeable about the things that the other side does,” Martin said. “The third part was to do STEM outreach to the local schools, so we brought the Muroc Unified School District on in the morning and Edwards Air Force base [students] on in the afternoon.”

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Buses arrive at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center.
Buses arrive at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center.
Pilot Troy Asher chats with students inside the G-II aircraft.
Pilot Troy Asher chats with students inside the G-II aircraft.
Engineer Ethan Baumann discusses the ACTE project.
Engineer Ethan Baumann discusses the ACTE project.
Student use the pneumatic robotic arms (education display).
Student use the pneumatic robotic arms (education display).
Students have some fun with an astronaut cutout.
Students have some fun with an astronaut cutout.
Students exit the G-II aircraft.
Students exit the G-II aircraft.
The mission of the event was to increase the community’s awareness of NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s missions and capabilities.
The mission of the event was to increase the community’s awareness of NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s missions and capabilities.

1 comment for "Students tour NASA for “SALUTE” event"

  1. I remember being able to actually tour Atlantis when it was here for repair work. I will never forget being able to walk around and actually touch something that had been out in space.