News Stellar lunchtime talk from Richard Covey, NASA Astronaut 04.10.2024

We were delighted to welcome Richard Covey, NASA Astronaut and Godolphin grandparent, for a captivating lunchtime talk about his career and experiences as a space shuttle commander. With over 600 hours in space spanning four missions, Covey shared his first hand accounts of one of humanity’s most extraordinary achievements: space exploration.

Growing up during the Cold War, Covey was inspired by the accomplishments of the US and Soviet space programmes. After completing his engineering studies and gaining flight experience as a test pilot, he secured his place in NASA’s elite astronaut corps through a combination of perseverance and opportunity. Reflecting on the modern-day astronaut programme, he noted the diverse range of backgrounds of today’s candidates, including doctors and even teachers, highlighting the expansion of skillsets required for space missions.

During the talk, students and staff were treated to incredible insights into the workings of the space shuttle programme. Using footage from his missions, Covey vividly described the science behind space travel and the sheer speed required to achieve orbit. Travelling at a staggering 17,500 miles per hour –enough to cover the distance from London to Paris in less than a minute – the shuttles would enter a state of free fall, rendering astronauts weightless. Covey explained how astronauts have to carefully adapt to this sensation, describing the challenges of ‘space adaptation syndrome’ and the disorientation that comes with zero gravity.

Covey’s missions included deploying and servicing large satellites – vital components for communication, weather forecasting, and earth observation. He detailed the crew’s ‘most difficult service and repair mission ever attempted’ – the 1990 repair of the Hubble Space Telescope, which had been launched with a critical fault in its imaging system. The mission was a resounding success, enabling the Hubble to become one of the most important scientific instruments in history.

One of the most engaging moments of the talk was Covey’s description of life aboard the space shuttle. He shared amusing footage of the shuttle’s crew being roused from sleep by special wake-up calls chosen by the ground crew, including Robin Williams’s iconic ‘Good Morning, Vietnam!’ and space-themed parodies of popular songs like the Beach Boys ‘I Get Around’ while the crew donned Hawaiian shirts and pretended to ‘surf’ on each other’s backs in zero gravity.

Looking to the future, Covey fielded questions sent in by students about NASA’s plans to return to the moon and eventually reach Mars, while acknowledging the impact of the commercialisation of space travel through companies like SpaceX.

We thank Richard for his truly inspiring and fascinating talk which left the audience with a profound appreciation for the determination and ingenuity required to explore the cosmos.