She looked up at the stars as a child. Then she saw Earth from space

Former NASA astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger told Durban learners that curiosity and persistence can turn childhood dreams into reality, while STEM programmes are creating pathways into the growing space economy.

Former NASA astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger told Durban pupils that curiosity and persistence can turn childhood dreams into reality, while STEM programmes are creating pathways into the growing space economy.

IT TOOK Dorothy “Dottie” Metcalf-Lindenburger decades to turn a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut into reality. Then it took just eight and a half minutes to travel from Earth into space.

But before she climbed aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, Dottie knew the risks involved. Her daughter was only four months old, and there was a chance she might not return to watch her baby grow up.

The memory of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was still present. Dottie’s astronaut class entered training during a period when NASA had suspended flights after the spacecraft broke apart during re-entry. The entire crew of seven died.