Astronaut To Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Girl Scouts

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May 01, 2012, 05:44 ET

HOUSTON, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut Catherine "Cady" Coleman will speak at the Girl Scouts 100th anniversary celebration in Amherst, Mass., on Saturday, May 5.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO )

Coleman will discuss her career and the importance of engineering and science education with members of the scouting community. Nearly 3,000 scouts, family members and friends are expected to attend, celebrating the founding of the Girl Scouts in the United States.

Her presentation begins at 11 a.m. EDT at the Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst. The day-long event is open to media and will feature interactive activities, displays and stage performances. Coleman will be available for media interviews immediately after her presentation.

As a veteran of three missions, Coleman logged more than 4,330 hours in space. She flew two missions aboard space shuttle Columbia. For her third space mission, she launched on the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft and spent 159 days in space aboard the International Space Station with the Expedition 26/27 crew.

Coleman received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts.

For more information about Coleman, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/coleman.html

NASA's programs employ the agency's missions to inspire learners and explorers of all ages. For information about NASA programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

For more information about the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, visit:

http://www.gscwm.org

SOURCE NASA