NASA Astronaut To Visit With Heber Springs Students

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Apr 20, 2012, 12:14 ET

HOUSTON, April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut Janet Kavandi will speak at Heber Springs High School on April 27 to acquaint students with NASA and encourage them to seek careers in math and science.

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Kavandi will hold a question and answer session with students in grades 9-12 who have already expressed interest in pursuing careers in math and science. The discussion starts at 8:30 a.m. CDT in Room 107 of Heber Springs High School, 1100 West Pine St., Heber Springs, Ark.

At 10 a.m., Kavandi will address the entire student body by giving a multimedia presentation of her spaceflight missions. The presentation will be held in the school gymnasium and will be followed by a brief question and answer session. Media are invited to attend.

Kavandi is the director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The three-time spaceflight veteran has logged more than 33 days in space, traveling more than 13.1 million miles in 535 Earth orbits.

Kavandi was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in December 1994. She served as a mission specialist on the STS-91, STS-99 and STS-104 space shuttle missions.

In her current position, Kavandi is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the directorate, including the astronaut corps and aircraft operations at Ellington Field.

For more information about this appearance or to schedule an interview with Kavandi, contact Brenda Cabaniss, publicist, Astronaut Appearances Office, at 281-244-8860 or Brenda Grogan, Heber Springs High School, at 501-362-3141.

For more about Kavandi, visit:

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

SOURCE NASA