LUNA Series presents NASA speaker
By Danielle Francisco, student intern and contributing writer
Russell Romanella, the director of Safety and Mission Assurance for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will be the keynote speaker for Augusta State University’s Look Up at Night, Augusta (LUNA) Series being held Friday, Nov. 9. The program will begin at 7 p.m. and will take place at the D. Douglas Barnard, Jr., Amphitheatre. In case of inclement weather, the program will be moved to W1002 Science Hall.
For this program, Romanella will discuss the past, present, and future of NASA.
“We are excited to have Mr. Romanella visit ASU and inform the community of the importance of NASA’s scientific achievements and mission goals,” said Grant Thompson, event coordinator and professor in ASU’s Department of Chemistry and Physics. “The United States has the best space program in the world, and I encourage the public to attend the lecture to learn what it has done and what it will continue to do for us.”
Romanella joined NASA in 1981 while studying at Florida State University and became an operational engineer in the Space Shuttle Processing Directorate in 1984. He became project manager for the Payload Data Management System in 1990 before moving on to NASA’s International Space Station.
In 2005, Romanella was promoted to director of the International Space Station and Spacecraft Processing Directorate. While there, he oversaw the assembly of space shuttle elements and was responsible for preparing the Orion crew exploration vehicle.
As a result of Romanella’s work at NASA, he has received numerous awards including the Presidential Rank Award and NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal.
This event is hosted by ASU’s Department of Chemistry and Physics. For more information, contact Dr. Thompson at 706-667-4515 or gthomp13@aug.edu.
