Ky Humanities presents Astronaut Story Musgrave with Kris Kimel

About the event

To culminate its 50th anniversary celebration, Kentucky Humanities, in partnership with The University of Kentucky's Cooperative for the Humanities and Social Sciences (A&S) and Space Tango, will host space pioneer Story Musgrave and Space Tango co-creator Kris Kimel. The duo will discuss Dr. Musgrave’s illustrious career and life experiences as well as the trajectory of the space program across the years, where it is now, and where it’s heading especially in light of Space Tango's Humanity in Deep Space initiatives.

Dr. Story Musgrave, is an American physician, a retired NASA astronaut, an author, a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California. In 1996, he became only the second astronaut to fly on six spaceflights (spending a total of 1,281 hours, 59 minutes, 22 seconds on space missions) and he is the most formally educated astronaut with six academic degrees. Often called the “Dean of NASA,” including earning his M.S. in physiology and biophysics from the University of Kentucky, Musgrave is the only astronaut to fly aboard all five space shuttles and he participated in the design and development of all space shuttle extra-vehicular activity equipment, including spacesuits, life support systems, airlocks, and Manned Maneuvering Units. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including induction into the International Space Hall of Fame.

Kris Kimel is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Space Tango. He is also the former President of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), an independent non-profit company focused on initiatives in science, technology, entrepreneurship and disruptive innovation. Kimel also founded the IdeaFestival an international event centering on innovation, discovery, and creative thinking across different disciplines (science, the humanities, design, etc.) He holds bachelor and masters’ degrees from the University of Kentucky.