August 8, 2007

Astronaut to visit Discovery Science Center
The visit by Danny Olivas comes as another local astronaut lifts off.
By DOUG IRVING
The Orange County Register

A few months ago, Danny Olivas was floating more than 200 miles above Earth, working in a bulky spacesuit to repair the heat shield on the space shuttle.

On Thursday, he'll be at the Discovery Science Center to talk about his experience in space. His visit coincides with the planned launch of another astronaut with local ties; Tracy Caldwell, a graduate of Cal State Fullerton, is a crew member on the space shuttle Endeavor, scheduled to lift off Wednesday evening.

Olivas, of North Hollywood, performed two space walks during a mission in June to the International Space Center. During one, he stapled down a corner of the shuttle's thermal blanket that had come loose during liftoff.

His talk is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Discovery Science Center, 2500 N. Main St. in Santa Ana; he'll take questions afterward. The event is included in the price of admission, which is $12.95 for adults and $9.95 for children between three and 17 years old.

"You can't look at the Earth from that height and see yourself in any level of significance," he said during a recent interview with The Register. "You could be the richest person on Earth, the best looking, the fastest, the strongest, and all that pales in comparison to the truth of what the universe is."