Boiler Bytes: Astronaut David Wolf participates in 2010 Purdue Space Day

>> It's space day here at Purdue and over 650 students run
in to learn about science, technology,
engineering and mathematics.
Astronaut and Purdue alumni David Wolf is on hand
as a VIP guest hosting a day full of space craft,
satellites and rockets.
>> [Background sound effects] Space Day is an outreach program
for third through eighth grade students to come to Purdue,
learn about space exploration, hopefully get them excited
about going into careers related to science technology
and math (STEM), but mainly promoting space exploration
and trying to get the next generation
of explorers excited about it.
The purpose of all the hands-on activities we have today is
to get kids engaged in thinking about science,
technology and math (STEM).
We want to get them excited and hopefully encourage kids to go
into careers related to STEM.
Hopefully encourage them that space exploration is important
and maybe we'll have a few future astronauts
in our kids today.
>> All of the activities are geared towards fun.
They're building stuff.
We even have an egg drop activity where they break eggs
or try not to, but they do.
[ Sound effects ]
>> [Background sound effects] We do water around kids
where we pump up high-pressure water and launch rockets.
They're doing an Apollo 13 mission where --
do you remember from the movie they run out of oxygen
because the carbon dioxide is poisoning the cab
so they have to build a filter.
So it's just a lot of excitement, a lot of walking
around being inspired, being an astronaut.
It's a great activity.
>> Space Day today is going to be really great
because today we have astronaut David Wolf here with us.
He's a Purdue graduate in electrical engineering.
He has been on numerous space missions and he's coming today
to talk and spend some time with the kids.
So we are really excited to have him here.
>> Space Day is designed to inspire these students here
at Purdue which has produced so many astronauts
and contributions to the space program and continues today.
We bring these students up to the university here at Purdue
and we show them all we can about space
and about research laboratories
and about how education can be an important part of their life.
>> I'm excited about Purdue Space Day
because then we can learn about astronomy
and everything and its really cool.
>> [Background sound effects] I'm thinking about coming
to Purdue 'cause the engineering and stuff is like really cool
and Purdue is a really good school of engineering.
>> These kids we tell people need to be exposed
to what they have to look forward to being a part of,
something so important and so big and it helps inspire them
and Space Day just compliments that.
>> I want them to leave knowing
that space exploration is important.
It's something that our country should be doing.
Our country should spend time and money on that
and I also more than anything want then to leave knowing
that if they work hard they can get somewhere really special.
>> Space Day here at Purdue has been a day full
of exploration, education and fun.
It was a blast, literally.
For Boiler Bytes, I'm Kyle Prey.