Columbus will soon receive a visit from someone who’s out of this world —or, to be more specific, someone who’s been out of this world.
On Oct. 16, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy will give a presentation on his in-orbit experiences and take part in a meet and greet.
According to NASA, Cassidy, a captain in the U.S. Navy, was selected by NASA to be an astronaut in 2004 and is a veteran of three space flights: STS‐127, Expedition 35, and Expedition 63.
Overall, Cassidy has accumulated 378 days in space. In October of 2020, NASA ranked him fifth out of NASA astronauts with the most cumulative days in space.
Residents will be able to hear about these interstellar experiences during Cassidy’s presentation, which will take place at 11 a.m. Oct. 16 in Columbus North High School’s auditorium.
“He will be talking about some expeditions that he’s had in space,” said Cassidy’s niece, Rachel Yancer. Yancer also handles events, community outreach and marketing for GreenTree at Westwood, which is the presenting sponsor for Cassidy’s appearance.
After speaking at North, Cassidy will do a meet and greet at GreenTree. Yancer said that everybody who attends will get a chance to meet with Cassidy individually and get an autograph, with GreenTree providing photos for this purpose.
There will also be food, a selfie station with props, and treat bags, she added. Columbus North’s STEM program will raffle off a hat signed by Cassidy to help support STEM programming in the school system.
The event will have a “senior fast pass” for older attendees, allowing them to cut the line. There will also be a separate entrance for seniors.
Both the presentation and meet and greet will be free to all, but GreenTree would like attendees to RSVP.
“Some people might need special seating, and that’s limited for people in walkers and wheelchairs at North,” Yancer explained. “And also we’re asking everybody to RSVP just in case something happens, more so with COVID. We want to make sure everybody’s safe.”
Masks are required at both events. GreenTree will try to keep people spaced out while in line, hand sanitizer will be available, and seniors will be separated from other attendees. Guests will also be asked not to touch Cassidy for his safety.
Yancer said the center is looking at about 500 people being the maximum for these events. They recommend that those who want to meet Cassidy get in line as early as possible.
His visit to Columbus aside, interstellar enthusiasts from all around will soon have another window into Cassidy’s experiences in space.
The Expedition 63 Commander is being featured in a six-part docu-series called “Among the Stars.” The show will be streaming on Disney Plus, with all episodes available beginning Wednesday.
According to the show’s description, “The series starts with astronaut Captain Chris Cassidy on a quest to get back in his space suit for one last mission — to fly to The International Space Station and help find the origins of the universe, but this quickly becomes a tale of the wider team at NASA, their roles on this mission and collective quest to succeed.”
The series will feature footage from both Earth and the International Space Station for a “fly-on-the-wall” perspective of what Cassidy and other team members have experienced in their journeys as astronauts.
