Flandrau attends Hispanic Outlook + Mercadito
Flandrau attends annual event and brings a 7-foot model rocket of Saturn V Rocket
In attendance at the Hispanic Market + Outlook Mercadito was keynote speaker Ginger Kerrick, who spoke about her experience as the first Hispanic woman to serve as the flight director at NASA.
Photos by Nick Letson
On September 18, the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with its annual Hispanic Market Outlook + Mercadito at the Tucson Convention Center, inviting Southern Arizona community members to participate in celebrating Hispanic contributions to not only business but also STEM fields. The Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium made sure to join in on the fun by bringing an impressive 7-foot Saturn V rocket model. This display served as an educational centerpiece for the community to observe.
Our model of the Saturn V rocket brought to light one of the greatest achievements of our history. The real Saturn V Rocket stands at around 111 meters, being the only rocket to have ever launched humans, along with a record-breaking payload capacity, into space beyond low Earth orbit.
Those in attendance were able to hear Ginger Kerrick's story on her journey to becoming the flight director for NASA. This is not her only crowning achievement, as she was also the first Russian Training Integration instructor at NASA in 1997 and the first non-astronaut capsule communicator in 2001. Kerrick's presence at the event really highlighted the contributions made to space exploration and STEM fields by Hispanic professionals–showing just how much of a shining example she is to youth in our community who are pursuing careers in science and technology.
Flandrau is proud to continue to introduce individuals from all communities to the thrill of space exploration and scientific discovery. We are proud to have brought our Saturn V rocket model to show our commitment to the education of the community outside our planetarium’s walls. We sincerely thank the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for hosting such an inspiring event and allowing us to attend.
