Legendary astronaut Dr Buzz Aldrin has lent his support to Inmarsat-sponsored Think Global Flight’s mission as he celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landings.
He was the second man to walk on the moon on 21 July, 1969, following Neil Armstrong, and has joined forces with Think Global Flight to highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
“Back when I was privileged to be a part of the Apollo programme no-one had ever heard of STEM,” said Buzz.
“It is the focus of Think Global Flight, reaching over 20,000 students, and is why I strongly support Captain Judy.”
Think Global Flight is being led by Captain Judy Rice and navigator Fred Nauer who took off in their single-engine, piston-driven Cirrus SR22T in Lakeland, Florida, in April 2014, to fly to 25 countries around the world and 31 US states.
Along the way Judy and her team are talking to students about aviation and aerospace, the importance of STEM education, and the impact green technologies are having on aviation.
In parallel, Student Command Centres involving more than 20,000 students are involved in research, analysing data, and working together to provide the technical support required for the Think Global Flight crew to circumnavigate the globe.
Inmarsat is providing Judy with an IsatPhone Pro satellite phone and airtime, allowing her to make a daily report to the global participants at the end of each leg.
IsatPhone Pro also gives her access to SMS, email and GPS location data – in flight and on the ground.
Judy, a former teacher with a passion for aviation and space technology, came up with the idea of Think Global Flight, a non-profit organisation, to promote STEM education globally by harnessing the excitement of a round-the-world flight in which children could take an active part. She is backed by a team of educators, business leaders and aviation specialists.
