Reviewed by: Audrey Johnson
NEW: Former astronaut visiting her hometown—the Rocket City—this weekend
Reading time: 2 minutes
It doesn’t get much more Rocket-City-esque than this—a former NASA astronaut is visiting Huntsville this weekend. Dr. Jan Davis, who just so happens to be a Huntsville native, will be at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center—of course—to sign copies of her new book, Air Born: Two Generations in Flight. Here are all the details.
Dr. Jan Davis’ new book
An alumnus of both Huntsville High School and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Dr. Jan Davis is a Huntsville native through-and-through. Pursuing a very “Huntsville” career, Dr. Davis joined the NASA team in 1979. In 1992, she went to space for the first time.
Between the years 1992 and 1997, Dr. Davis was an astronaut on three different space flights—totaling over 673 hours away from earth. Her astonishing achievements—both in space and on earth—has earned her too many awards to name‚ including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
In Air Born: Two Generations in Flight, Dr. Davis tells her story, and connects it to her father’s as well. Her father, Ben Smotherman, was a World War II B-17 pilot. He was shot down over Holland and spent almost two years as a prisoner of war. He survived, later becoming the father of Jan.
Needless to say, these are two incredible lives, and they’re wrapped into one inspirational read.
“…draw inspiration from the intersection of two completely different yet uniquely connected worlds brought together by a common link of family and flying.”
Air Born: Two Generations in Flight’s book description (Amazon)
Where you can meet her
To celebrate Air Born, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is hosting a book launch this weekend. The author herself will be there to give a presentation about her book as well as sign copies afterward. Here are all the details:
- Where: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805 (Discovery Theater)
- When: Saturday, July 29 at 10AM
- Event Details
If you’re interested in reading Air Born, you can reserve your copy here.
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