Former astronaut Loren Shriver will speak to University of Colorado at Boulder students, faculty and staff this week about his experience in space and other highlights of his 30-year career with NASA.
Shriver will give a one-hour talk on Thursday, Aug. 23, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Discovery Learning Center at the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He also will participate in a panel discussion from noon to 1 p.m. at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, or LASP. The United Space Alliance and Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. are sponsoring the events. Neither is open to the public.
Shriver is vice president and chief technology officer of United Space Alliance, a company jointly owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The alliance is under contract with NASA to operate the space shuttle fleet and the international space station.
Shriver was an Air Force test pilot in 1978 when NASA selected him to become an astronaut. He is a veteran of space flights in 1985, 1990 and 1992. After logging more than 386 hours in space, he became deputy chief of NASA's astronaut office, and then space shuttle program manager for launch integration at the Kennedy Space Center. In this position, he was responsible for final shuttle preparation, mission execution and return of the orbiter to the center following landings at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
During his career, Shriver has received many notable awards, including the U.S. Air Force's Distinguished Flying Cross, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the American Astronautical Society's Flight Achievement Award and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Haley Space Flight Award.
Shriver, originally from Iowa, has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master's degree in astronautical engineering from Purdue University. He was commissioned in the Air Force in 1967 and has flown in 30 different types of single and multi-engine civilian and military fixed-wing and helicopter aircraft.
Shriver will be available for one-on-one interviews from 1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. in the Discovery Learning Center. To schedule a session, contact Jeannie Kranz at (281) 280-3792 or (281) 381-3317. For more information about the panel and talk, contact Carol Rowe at (303) 492-7426.