Last June, NASA astronaut Colonel Pat Forrester, United States Army Retired, who was raised in Springfield, Virginia, flew with a custom Virginia Tech flag aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis.  The Virginia Tech flag flew 5.8 million miles over the 14-day mission of STS 117 Atlantis Flight.  The flag is framed and engraved with a special tribute to Virginia Tech as a gift from NASA, recognizing the long-standing relationship between Virginia Tech and NASA.  Colonel Forrester presented the flag that flew with him and his crew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to Virginia Tech president Charles Steger at the Virginia Tech vs. College of William and Mary football game on September 15, 2007.  Virginia Tech Athletic Department employees are holding the flag. 

Five Virginia Tech students, Melissa Harnist, Laura Jones, Shane Seaman, Hannah Joyce, and Devon Kenworthy were participants in a special NASA Education Forum surrounding the launch at Kennedy Space Center on June 8, 2007.  Dr. Randy Wynne, Associate Professor of Forestry, Dr. Susan Magliaro, Dean of the School of Education, and her husband Dr. Terry Wildman, the Assistant Provost and Director for the School of Education also attended the conference and launch.  They are pictured here with Astronaut Melvin Leland, a featured speaker at the Forum.