Nicole Stott – Astronaut, aquanaut, artist.
Nicole Stott – Astronaut, aquanaut, artist.
The Bridge
Q1 2018 Edition
Astronaut, aquanaut, artist, and CASE special advisor Nicole Stott set to meet our students in the July 2018 expedition.
Astronauts are well educated, driven and passionate human beings with a powerful urge to explore beyond Earth. Upon their return home, astronauts seem to share another quality: they are humbled and awe-inspired by the stunning beauty of Earth. Many astronauts are so struck by their new perspective of our planet’s beauty they develop a strong desire to protect it and share their new-found awe.
Nicole Stott is one such astronaut, but unlike most others, Nicole also happens to be a talented artist.
“It’s always nice to meet a kindred spirit. I’m delighted that Nicole is the first astronaut of the Space Shuttle/Space Station era to choose art as her next step in life. All of us that have been fortunate enough to fly in space find it difficult to describe the beauty of our universe in words alone. I am thankful that Nicole has chosen to help share these amazing sights we have all seen through her very beautiful artwork.”
– Alan Bean (Capt, USN, Retired) ~ Artist, Astronaut, Moonwalker (Apollo 12, Skylab 3)
– Nicole Stott, first painting in space. Credit: Nicole Stott
Nicole Stott has explored from the heights of outer space to the depths of our oceans. In awe of what she has experienced from these very special vantage points, she has dedicated her life to sharing the beauty of space — and Earth — with others. She believes that sharing these orbital and inner space perspectives has the power to increase everyone’s appreciation of and obligation to care for our home planet and each other.
A veteran NASA Astronaut, her experience includes two spaceflights and 104 days spent living and working in space on both the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. She performed one spacewalk, was the first person to fly the robotic arm to capture the free flying HTV cargo vehicle, was the last crew member to fly to and from their ISS mission on a Space Shuttle, and she was a member of the crew of the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-133. A personal highlight of Nicole’s spaceflight was painting the first watercolor in space.
Nicole is also a NASA Aquanaut, who in preparation for spaceflight and along with her NEEMO9 crew, lived and worked during an 18-day and longest saturation mission to date on the Aquarius undersea habitat.
As an Artist, and now retired from NASA, Nicole combines her spaceflight experience and artwork to inspire creative thinking about solutions to our planetary challenges, to raise awareness of the surprising interplay between science and art, and to promote the amazing work being done every day in space to improve life right here on Earth.
Participants of the July and December 2018 Space School expeditions will have the privilege of meeting Nicole Stott at our Dinner with an Astronaut events. Nicole will be our special guest speaker at these events, and students will have the opportunity to ask her their questions and have a formal group photo with her.
Actura.
