First Nasa astronaut to visit UL inspires Limpopo learners
She's orbited Earth 238 times aboard Space Shuttle Discovery and commanded a 12-day undersea mission – now Dr Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger has made history as the first astronaut to ever visit UL, inspiring Limpopo's next generation.
LIMPOPO – The University of Limpopo hosted Dr Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, an astronaut from the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), on Monday (July 27), who delivered a keynote address on her experiences of living and working in space.
She is the first astronaut to ever visit the university, where she addressed Gr 9 and Gr 10 learners from schools across Limpopo about her journey from a small town in Colorado to space.
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A veteran of space and the sea
Metcalf-Lindenburger was selected by Nasa as an astronaut candidate in May 2004, completing her training in February 2006.
She served as a mission specialist on STS-131, a Space Shuttle Discovery mission to the International Space Station launched in April 2010. The mission delivered supplies and science equipment to the station and lasted 15 days, during which the crew orbited the Earth 238 times.
In 2012, she commanded Nasa’s NEEMO 16 undersea exploration mission, spending 12 days aboard an underwater laboratory off the coast of Florida.
She retired from Nasa in 2014.
From childhood dream to space camp
Metcalf-Lindenburger’s journey to becoming an astronaut shows that life’s path is rarely straightforward. Instead, every experience, whether planned or unexpected, can prepare a person for future opportunities.
During her lecture, she shared how attending a childhood space camp helped her understand what she needed to study and do to achieve her dream of becoming an astronaut.
Inspired by the Space Shuttle Discovery and the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, she built a model of the Discovery and displayed it in her bedroom as a reminder of her goal.
Building a well-rounded foundation
Throughout high school, she challenged herself academically and personally by taking part in Science Olympiad, cross-country running, swimming and choir. She said developing a variety of mental and physical strengths is important, as it is impossible to know which skills will become valuable later in life.
She went on to study geology at Whitman College, where she explored Earth’s history while learning to solve problems relevant to the present and future.
After graduating with honours, she planned to teach English in Kazakhstan through the Peace Corps before returning to the United States to pursue a master’s degree, a doctorate and, eventually, a career as an astronaut.
A change in plans
However, life took an unexpected turn. Political instability prevented her from travelling to Kazakhstan, forcing her to reconsider her plans.
Drawing on the knowledge and skills she had already developed, she became a high school science teacher, a profession she had never originally intended to pursue.
A student’s question changes everything
One day, a curious student asked her how astronauts go to the bathroom in space. She did not know the answer, but her research into the question led her to a Nasa recruitment programme for teachers interested in becoming astronauts.
She applied and, out of thousands of applicants, was selected as one of 35 teachers invited to the Johnson Space Center for interviews and medical testing. She was ultimately one of only three teachers chosen to join Nasa’s astronaut programme.
A lesson in curiosity and resilience
Metcalf-Lindenburger’s story is a lesson in curiosity, resilience and adaptability. It shows that setbacks can become opportunities, and that unexpected changes in life’s journey can lead to achievements far greater than originally imagined.
She encouraged the young learners in attendance to pursue their dreams, telling them that anything is possible.
