Purdue University is the Cradle of Astronauts™

Neil Armstrong (BS aeronautical engineering ’55) was the first person to walk on the moon. Eugene Cernan (BS electrical engineering ’56) was the most recent. Nearly a third of U.S. spaceflights have included a Purdue graduate, and 10-plus missions have included multiple Purdue alums. Again and again and again, Boilermakers have been willing to go first, to keep pushing, to take the next giant leap. Purdue alumni are also achieving milestones in space with commercial ventures such as Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX. This legacy has cemented Purdue as one of the key institutions in humanity’s exploration of our universe. Chapters 00:00 Neil Armstrong: BSAE ’55, Gemini 8, Apollo 11 00:25 Sirisha Bandla: BSAAE ’11, Unity 22 00:34 Loral O’Hara: MSAAE ’09, Expedition 69/70 00:49 Janice Voss: BSES ’75, STS-57, STS-63, STS-83, STS-94, STS-99 01:04 Andrew Feustel: BSEAS ’89 and MSEAS ’91, STS-125, STS-134, Expedition 55/56 01:14 Andrew Feustel receives an honorary doctoral degree while aboard the International Space Station, hooded by fellow Purdue graduate and astronaut, Scott Tingle 01:29 Scott Tingle: MSME ’88, Expedition 54/55 01:42 Gus Grissom: BSME ’50, Mercury 4, Gemini 3, Apollo 1 01:52 Roger Chaffee: BSAE ’57, Apollo 1 01:58 Mark Polansky: BSAAE ’78 and MSAAE ’78, STS-98, STS-116, STS-127 02:06 David Wolf: BSEE ’78, STS-58, STS-86, STS-89, STS-112, STS-127 02:16 Gene Cernan poses the question: “Why are so many astronauts from Purdue?”: BSEE ’56, Gemini 9, Apollo 10, Apollo 17 2:33 All Purdue astronauts Learn more about Purdue’s legacy in space: purdue.edu/space #Space #PurdueUniversity #Purdue #Moon