Speaker Series 2025 – NASA Astronauts

April 9, 2025

Space Exploration – Past, Present and Future
Former Astronauts Who Explored the Final Fronteir

Charles M. Duke, Jr – United States Air Force Brigadier General (retired), combat & test pilot, Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972. The tenth and youngest person to walk on the Moon, at age 36.

Tom Henricks – United States Air Force colonel (retired), served on four Space Shuttle missions. The first person to log over 1,000 hours as a Space Shuttle pilot/commander.

Dan Brandenstein – United States Navy Captain (retired), Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of United Space Alliance, former Naval Aviator – flew 192 combat missions in Vietnam – test pilot, commander/pilot on four Space Shuttle missions.

Gerry Griffin – United States Air Force Captain (retired), USAF weapon systems officer, Director of NASA Johnson Space Center, Apollo Program flight director, Conducted lunar landings for Apollos 14,15,16, and 17. When the landing of Apollo 13 was aborted due to an oxygen tank explosion, his team played a key role in the safe return of the astronauts. Served as technical advisor to Oscar-nominated film Apollo 13.