Miner pride in outer space!

[JeeberD]

Astronaut Danny Olivas, who went up on the most recent Space Shuttle mission, is the first UTEP grad to go into outer space. And while he got his masters at Houston and his PHD at Rice, it appears that it's his Miner pride which shines through!

While preparing for today's shuttle-repair spacewalk, NASA astronaut and UTEP grad John "Danny" Olivas showed off his Miner pride in the International Space Station by wearing an orange shirt emblazoned with the words "UTEP Miners."


Soaring 200 miles above the earth at the end of the shuttle's robot arm, Olivas today used staples and steel thread to repair a torn thermal blanket on the exterior of the orbiter.


Olivas and his crewmates are scheduled to return to earth on Thursday, June 21, around noon El Paso time. However, the date and time is subject to change.

Space shuttle Atlantis carrying the 1989 UTEP grad successfully launched Friday, June 8. Olivas and the STS-117 crew arrived at the station Sunday, June 10.

And then there's this as well...

Flight Day 9

STS-117 crew wake-up call, Flight Day 9 -- 'University of Texas El Paso Fight Song' by the UTEP Pep Band played for Mission Specialist John (Danny) Olivas.


http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/...7/mp3/fd09.mp3

Go UTEP Miners!!!!

[Richard Weed]

This has been in the local news all over the place. Everyone is proud of him and I think I saw that they played the Miner Fight Song on CNN today. Anyhow, I just hired Orlando Olivas as my new deputy recently and I asked him if he was related. He said that Danny was a distant cousin.

Very cool stuff.

[Karlifornia]

Shouldn't be a difficult adjustment for the guy...seeing as how the landscape of El Paso is similar to the moon.