Two NASA astronauts, Colonel Raja Chari and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hines, recently paid a visit to students in the Okaloosa County School District. The two astronauts stopped by Niceville High School and Bluewater Elementary to talk to the students about their experiences in space and how they became astronauts.

ROTC cadets from Crestview, Niceville, Choctawhatchee, and Fort Walton Beach High Schools, as well as students from the Okaloosa STEMM Academy, gathered at Niceville High School on Thursday, April 13th. 

• On Friday, April 14th, Astronaut Club members from Antioch Elementary and Bluewater Elementary met at Bluewater.

The astronauts showed a video to the students that gave them a glimpse into their daily activities and duties while aboard the International Space Station. Afterward, they opened the floor for a Question and Answer session.

During the visit, the astronauts shared their experiences as part of Expedition 66 and 67, including the experiments they conducted while aboard the ISS. 

• Col. Raja Chari was part of Expedition 66 and conducted experiments aimed at identifying new materials with innate antimicrobial properties that could be used in designing future spacecraft. 
• Lt. Col. Bob Hines was part of Expedition 67 and conducted experiments studying the aging of immune cells and the potential to reverse those effects during post-flight recovery.

“We are so thankful for this experience,” said Amy Klugh, Bluewater Elementary School Principal. “Since the students have all been to Space camp, they were engaged and asked such thoughtful questions.” Klugh thanked the astronauts for their visit and for giving the students a core memory experience. “They will never forget this!”

Lt. Col. Bob Hines, who served more than 23 years in the United States Air Force before joining NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Class in 2017, was assigned to Eglin AFB and his daughter attended Bluewater Elementary School. He served as the pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station, which concluded on Oct. 14, 2022, and logged 170 days in space.

Col. Raja Chari, an Iowa native and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, served as commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the ISS and was part of Expedition 66 and 67 before returning to Earth May 6, 2022, after spending 177 days in orbit.

“We appreciate Eglin Air Force Base for coordinating these visits and NASA Astronauts Colonel Raja Chari and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hines for sharing their knowledge and love of STEM with our students,” wrote the OCSD in a press release.