Sunita Williams Visits Brimmer and May

"Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still." – Carl Sagan 

 

As Carl Sagan so beautifully put it, 'Exploration is in our nature.' As we look up at the night sky this week, the alignment of Earth’s orbit with neighboring planets offers a rare sight. Venus shines the brightest, Mars glows with its signature red hue, and Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn appear distinctly without the need for a telescope. This celestial lineup gives us a small glimpse of what space looks like from afar.  

 

The 12th grade and STEAM Diploma students recently had the unique experience of video conferencing with American Astronaut Sunita Williams while she was orbiting the Earth 250 miles away aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It was a truly awe-inspiring experience where students received a tour of the ISS, learned about the experiments being run in space, experienced how astronauts live in space, and watched Williams drink water in microgravity. For 35 minutes, students were transported by technology to experience our universe, including a view out the ISS Cupola that displayed what the universe looks like once you leave our planet. Williams then panned the camera so students could see the beauty of our planet illuminated by our sun.

The experience left everyone with a deep sense of awe and wonder, but also an understanding of how communication and teamwork can allow humans to achieve more than they believe they are capable of. And for this, we are grateful to the Brimmer family who helped bring this opportunity to the School, to Sunita Williams for agreeing to meet our students, and to NASA for coordinating this experience.