A FORMER astronaut stopped off in Barnsley to discuss his career with NASA with youngsters.
Pupils from years nine and 11 at Outwood Academy, Carlton, were given the opportunity to speak with Colonel Jack Lousma about his work and experiences with NASA.
Jack was the spacecraft communicator and recipient of the famous ‘Houston, we have a problem’ message during the Apollo 13 mission and was a commander of STS-3 in 1982.
Apollo 13, which launched on April 11, 1970, was the seventh crewed mission in the self-titled space programme but ultimately failed when the attempted moon landing was aborted, with the crew instead looping around the moon before returning to Earth.
The school’s principal, Paul Haynes, said: “We were honoured to welcome Jack - the students were delighted to hear about his experiences and the wonderful space stories he had to tell. You could really see the students were fascinated and inspired by what they were hearing.
“At Outwood, we are committed to putting students first and supporting them to reach their potential.
“For us, this goes beyond the classroom and it is events like this that really highlight our commitment to this.”
