UVA Grad Who Traveled in Space to Speak at University
A UVA engineering graduate who was the third private citizen to travel into space, returns to his Alma mater tonight to talk about the unlikely trajectory that was his life.
Greg Olsen got his PhD in material science from UVa in 1971, made a fortune in a dozen electronic patents, sold his company for $600 million, and decided to book a space flight.
Olsen: This started, believe it or not, at Starbucks. I read an article in a newspaper and it was like, wow, this is something I’d like to do.
Greg Olsen called Space Adventure, another UVa offshoot, and booked a flight on a Soyuz spacecraft.
Olsen: You know, when I felt that rocket vibrating, then I knew, yes, I’m going.
Olsen spent ten days in space, 150 orbits, four million miles.
Olsen: All you see is this big blue sphere receding, and you can feel your arms floating and then you know, yes, I’m weightless.
Tonight, he will be at UVa’s Wilsdorf Hall, which he helped build, between 5:00 and 6:00 to talk about his new book, his space travels and his mission to encourage children and minorities to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Charles Fishburne, WCVE News.
Greg Olsen got his PhD in material science from UVa in 1971, made a fortune in a dozen electronic patents, sold his company for $600 million, and decided to book a space flight.
Olsen: This started, believe it or not, at Starbucks. I read an article in a newspaper and it was like, wow, this is something I’d like to do.
Greg Olsen called Space Adventure, another UVa offshoot, and booked a flight on a Soyuz spacecraft.
Olsen: You know, when I felt that rocket vibrating, then I knew, yes, I’m going.
Olsen spent ten days in space, 150 orbits, four million miles.
Olsen: All you see is this big blue sphere receding, and you can feel your arms floating and then you know, yes, I’m weightless.
Tonight, he will be at UVa’s Wilsdorf Hall, which he helped build, between 5:00 and 6:00 to talk about his new book, his space travels and his mission to encourage children and minorities to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Charles Fishburne, WCVE News.
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