WEST LAFAYETTE—Here is a college reunion that is out of this world, literally!
Purdue University has graduated 24 men and woman who have gone on to become astronauts with NASA, and one who became a commercial astronaut. On the second weekend of October, 13 of them are expected on the West Lafayette campus for an astronaut reunion.
The group will speak to Purdue classes, visit local schools and tour the campus. On Oct. 12, the astronauts will attend a public meet and greet at Homecoming Tent Row, located near the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering. Pre-signed headshots of the astronauts will be distributed, as well as commemorative posters and buttons—while supplies last.
The group will then be recognized on the field during halftime of the Boilermakers' game against Maryland. Purdue is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding this year.
Purdue calls itself the "Cradle of Astronauts," with graduates who include the late Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, the first and last men to walk on the moon.
