We’re going to space!
One of the most serendipitous events that could ever take place during National Volunteer Week and the morning after Earth Day – our first ever Texas Master Naturalist in Space! Gulf Coast Chapter Member, Kjell Lindgren is a NASA Astronaut commanding the SpaceX Crew-4 shuttle to the International Space Station with a tentative launch scheduled for Wednesday April 27th.
Join us as we share more about the crew, their launch and then host a live downlink with Kjell later this summer.
#NASA #NASAastronauts #TMNinSpace
TMNTuesday Downlink with Kjell Lindgren
Kjell has offered a once in a lifetime experience for the Texas Master Naturalist Program! He’d like to ‘downlink’ with the Texas Master Naturalist Program in June, connect his work on the ISS to the service TMNs provide and answer any general questions that his fellow naturalist volunteers have. The dates for this downlink are currently tentative and may remain flexible based on mission priorities on the ISS – BUT once we have a date/time we’ll announce it via our email listserv and social media channels.
Please help us prepare for this downlink. We’ll collect questions using this survey below, review and synthesize the questions, get them approved via the NASA Astronauts team and then submit them to Kjell to review and prep for his downlink discussion in June. Be aware that not every question submitted or even approved for his response will have a chance to get answered.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TMNinSpace
Space X Crew-4
Follow along and learn more about the Space X Crew 4 team, their vehicles and launch schedule on their blog – https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-4/
Learn more about the spacecraft and vehicle launching this incredible team – https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/spacex_spacecraft_and_vehicle_guide.pdf
Launch Livestream
Join us as we countdown and watch the launch together. To watch the launch – use the NASA Live channel – https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
Tentative launch schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, April 27 (all times Eastern)
12:00 a.m. – NASA Television launch commentary coverage begins
3:52 a.m. – Launch
7 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference on NASA Television
Patch
Some great insight to the patch Commander Kjelle Lindgren, TMN volunteer will wear on his mission launch next week: The free-flying Dragon capsule forms the thorax of the central element of the patch, the Dragonfly – a beautiful and agile flyer. For many, the dragonfly represents transformation and good fortune. On its way to the International Space Station, the capsule appears suspended in low Earth orbit with the Earth below and Moon above. Four bright stars represent the four crewmembers’ families and their steadfast patience, love, and support. The remaining multitude of stars represent the countless members of the NASA, SpaceX, and international partner teams, whose ingenuity, vigilance, and tireless work has made this mission possible. Patch designer: Alexandra Lindgren (Kjell’s daughter)
Kjell Lindgren
Get to know Texas Master Naturalist Kjell Lindgren!
A member of the Gulf Coast Chapter, Kjell (pronounced CHELL) joined the training class and earned his certification in 2021, and has been involved in the many projects of the Gulf Coast Chapter, including the Texas Butterfly Monitoring Network, BRITs Armchair Botanist and Armand Bayou trail guiding.
Learn more about Kjell’s astronaut career – https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/kjell-n-lindgren/biography