Bonnie Dunbar, retired NASA astronaut and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, was the special guest at two recent events organized by the AIAA Niagara Frontier Section (NFS).
On 16 October, as part of the Niagara Aerospace Museum’s ongoing STEM education programming and a joint STEM event with AIAA NFS, Dunbar spoke to 150 students at Buffalo Public School #18. She shared how she became an astronaut and recounted highlights from her five Space Shuttle missions, during which she logged more than 50 days in space, participated in over 150 scientific experiments, deployed and retrieved satellites, and docked with the Russian space station Mir. Dunbar also described what life is like in space and discussed the future of space exploration.
Students eagerly participated in a Q&A session, demonstrating their knowledge of NASA’s space program and asking thoughtful questions about what it feels like to travel to space and see Earth from orbit.
That evening, Dunbar joined a dinner hosted by AIAA NFS and the Aero Club of Buffalo. The event drew 60 in-person attendees—including 20 members of the University at Buffalo Student Branch—and another 20 participants online. Dunbar spoke about her childhood, education, NASA career prior to astronaut selection with Group 9, her five Space Shuttle missions, and her cosmonaut training in Russia as a backup crewmember for Mir.
Walter Gordon, AIAA NFS Chair, noted that both the section and the Aero Club “work purposefully to bring the foremost experts in aviation and aerospace to speak to our community” and share their stories.
