UND Grad Launches into Space
By Lisa Gibson, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.
Jun. 1–T-minus 2 minutes and counting; the countdown to the launch of STS-124 Saturday continued with excitement and anticipation.
Karen Nyberg, a 1994 UND graduate, successfully launched into space Saturday afternoon on a 14-day NASA mission to deliver portions of the new Japanese-designed Kibo Laboratory to the International Space Station.
Nyberg, 38, brought with her a 3-by-5-foot UND flag, a collage representing her time in the UND School of Engineering and Mines, and a CD with all the names of SEM faculty, staff and alumni.
“The launching itself was indescribable and awe inspiring,” said UND President Charles Kupchella, who was at the site. “Knowing someone on the shuttle made it that much more special. It’s a big day for Karen, her family and the unicersity.”
Kupchella and his wife, Adelle, sat as close to the active launch site as possible, he said.
“We were able to follow it all the way until the boosters separated,” he said. “And you could kind of tell when the commander pulled the throttle back.”
The crew of seven, Nyberg the only female, took off in the shuttle Discovery from Cape Canaveral, Flo., at 5:02 p.m. EDT, 4:02 CDT. The launch was televised on C-Span, local cable channel 51, and also on NASA’s TV Web site, www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html.
Discovery was traveling at a normal 1,400 mph about one minute before scheduled main engine shut-off, said Rob Navias, a Johnson Space Center spokesman, during the launch. Later, the shuttle would reach speeds much higher.
“It was absolutely one of the most remarkable things my wife and I have ever witnessed,” said Tim O’Keefe, UND Alumni Association director, who also was in attendance. “There just aren’t words to describe the experience.”
O’Keefe said the shuttle disappeared after about two minutes. After the shuttle was safely in orbit, roses and letters from the astronauts were given to their families.
“That was a very emotional moment,” O’Keefe said.
A pre-launch reception was held for Nyberg Friday night, bringing in people from all over the country to congratulate her and wish her luck.
“We all felt like we were part of the family,” Kupchella said.
Ed Schafer, former North Dakota governor and now U.S. agriculture secretary, recently retired engineering Dean John Watson, and chair of mechanical engineering Manohar Kulkarni also were in Florida for the launch.
Red armbands were handed out at the site, O’Keefe said, to be worn until the crew returns.
“It’s a great moment,” he said. “It’s quite a day, for us to have representation in such a unique and small fraternity.”
Nyberg grew up in the small town of Vining, Minn., and graduated summa cum laude from UND. She then earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas in Austin and was selected to be an astronaut in 2000. Nyberg serves on Discovery as a mission specialist.
Two female astronauts in the crowd near O’Keefe explained everything as it happened, even describing what the crew was feeling as they took off, he said. They told him it’s comparable to riding an elevator at high speed during an earthquake.
“During the launch, they were very emotional, as well,” he said of the women.
Nyberg will control the robotic arm on the shuttle while putting Kibo together, making her worthy of the title many other female astronauts have given themselves: robo-chic. The suit for space walks is too big for many women to use, so they control the robotic arm instead, one of the female astronauts told O’Keefe.
“By next week, she’ll officially be a robo-chic,” he laughed.
“We help our graduates reach the stars,” Kupchella said. “And to see it almost literally was quite a thrill.”
Gibson covers education. Reach her at (701) 787-6754; (800) 477-6572, ext. 754; or send e-mail to lgibson@gfherald.com.
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