GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For the sixth year, the Grand Rapids Public Museum and Grand Valley State University teamed up for "Roger That!", an event celebrating space exploration.
This year, the event centered around women in space.
Astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to both pilot a spacecraft and command a space shuttle mission, spoke at the event, detailing her journey to becoming an astronaut and her missions into space. Over her career, she spent 872 hours in space.
The goal of the event was to encourage more kids, especially young girls, to learn about science, technology, engineering and math.
"That education continues, of course at the museum, being able to learn about these activities and get that firsthand experience to really pique their curiosity to see what they're interested in, and can hopefully pursue going into the future as a career," said Alee’a Cherry, with the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Along with the presentation, visitors got to experience hands-on activities, including a building station complete with LEGO Bricks, a paper airplane building station, space-themed artifacts, astronaut challenges and more.
Participants got to learn about different careers in STEM from local professionals and see what it takes to be an astronaut.
To learn more about the Grand Rapids Public Museum, click here. Full information about the Roger That! events can be found here.
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