Presenting Team
Team may be subject to change due to schedules.
A Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (Navy Exchange Pilot), Astronaut Dominic “Tony” Antonelli accumulated over 3,200 hours in 41 different kinds of aircraft prior to being selected as a pilot by NASA in 2000. In 2009 he piloted his first mission aboard space shuttle Discovery for STS-119, which delivered the final pair of power-generating solar array wings to the International Space Station. During his second flight he piloted space shuttle Atlantis in 2010 for STS-132, the 32nd Shuttle flight to the International Space Station.Across his two space flights, Antonelli has logged a total of 24 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes and 35 seconds in space.
Michelle Lucas spent 10+ years working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. First as part of the International Space Station (ISS) Payload Safety Review Panel (PSRP) and then in the Mission Operations Directorate as a Flight Controller in ISS Mission Control and as an Astronaut Instructor in the ISS Daily Operations Group. Additionally, she worked with each of the International Partners (European Space Agency – ESA, Japanese Space Agency – JAXA, and the Russian Space Agency) in the field of Daily Operations, Flight Controller, and Instructor Training. Michelle was part of the Core NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) team for 9 missions where astronauts would carry out analog space missions underwater in the Aquarius habitat.
Jeff has been teaching K-12 students for nearly 20 years and his priority and passion revolves around STEM education. His recognitions include being the Arizona Air Force Association Teacher of the Year and Arizona Challenger Space Center Teacher of the Year. Today, he is the CREATE Education Manager at Arizona Science Center. Follow his adventures on Twitter at @STEMJeff.
Tara Sweeney has been inspiring children and adults to see the wonder of space exploration and the importance of the STEM fields that make it possible for nearly four decades. She has served as CEO, President, Interim Executive Director, COO, CSO, and Vice President, of technology test and evaluation organizations focused on operations in austere and hazardous environments for national defense, homeland security, and intelligence community projects. Tara is a retired United States Air Force Special Operations Command Officer. She has engaged in both military and civilian aviation activities, including as a single-engine aircraft pilot, a glider student pilot, a helicopter maintenance officer, a parabolic operations flight coach, and a parabolic operations flight attendant. Tara has accumulated approximately five hours in microgravity while conducting space-based research experiments and training participants how to experience reduced gravity. She previously served as the leader of the world-renowned STEM education program, Space Camp, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and was inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2018. Tara holds degrees from the United States Air Force Academy, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Regis University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Texas at El Paso in lunar
Event Location Details
Midland High School
906 West Illinois Ave
Midland, TX
