ASTRONAUT RICK HUSBAND RETURNS TO PANHANDLE FOR HONORS AND PRESENTATIONS



April 11, 2000



Doug Peterson
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(281) 244-8406


<h4>Release: J00-24</h4> <h3>Astronaut Rick Husband Returns To 
Panhandle For Honors And Presentations</h3> 

Space Shuttle pilot Rick Husband returns to Lubbock, Bushland, and 
Amarillo on April 11 and 12 to relate the story of his first mission 
to space and to be honored as an alumnus of Amarillo High School.



On Tuesday April 11 at 10:00 a.m., Husband will visit Amarillo High 
School for a ceremony inducting him into the school&rsquo;s Sandie 
Hall of Fame. A reception will begin shortly after the ceremony with 
a brief presentation about Husband&rsquo;s STS-96 mission. The media 
contact at the school is Lori Cezon at 806-354-4200. The school is 
located at 4225 Danbury in Amarillo.



Later Tuesday, Husband will visit Bushland Middle School at 1 
Blackhawk Drive in Bushland at 1:45 p.m. to make several 
presentations to Bushland students.



At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, he will visit Texas Tech to present items he 
took into space on his 1999 mission to the University. The event will 
be at the Matador Room at the Texas Tech University Center. The 
contact is Ms. Cindy Rugeley at (806) 742-2136.



The ten day STS-96 mission was the first to dock with the 
International Space Station. The mission was accomplished in 153 
Earth orbits, traveling 4 million miles in 9 days, 19 hours and 13 
minutes.



Husband joined NASA and began his astronaut training in March 1995. In 
addition to astronaut training, he has worked on advanced projects, 
Space Shuttle upgrades, and studies to return to the Moon and travel 
to Mars. After graduating from Texas Tech in 1980, he began his Air 
Force career where he logged over 3800 hours of flight time as a 
pilot and test pilot in more than 40 different types of aircraft.



Currently, Rick Husband serves as Chief of the Safety Office in the 
Astronaut Office at NASA&rsquo;s Johnson Space Center.



Astronaut Husband will do print or electronic media interviews before 
or after the events depending on schedule constraints.

	
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