Space, Technology and the Careers of the Future Were on Display at CCAC Space Day 2024

NASA astronaut and Pittsburgh native, Col. Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke, a former CCAC student, shared space travel experiences and insights during his visit with area high school students.

 

CCAC hosted Space Day 2024 at the college's Allegheny Campus on Thursday, Sept. 12. Pittsburgh native Mike Fincke, NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, visited CCAC as the featured guest during the second annual event. In a riveting presentation and discussion, Col. Fincke engaged with nearly 200 invited students from 13 area high schools. Mike Hennessy, Moonshot Museum Manager of Learning Programs, was also part of the program as were CCAC's winning student teams from the national Student Spaceflight Experiment Program.

Visiting students had the opportunity to tour the Center for Education, Innovation & Training and participate in demonstrations and hands-on activities involving microgravity simulators and interactive robotics. Representatives from The Carnegie Science Center were also on hand to demonstrate the prototyping of Rovers as students learned about surface features on the moon and on Mars and how space agencies choose Rover landing sites.

To view the CCAC Space Day 2024 video, click here.

For more information about Edward "Mike" Fincke, NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, click here.