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Miami University alumnus Steve Heck is finally fulfilling his lifelong dream. Heck is headed to space as part of the Teachers in Space program.
Within the next two years, Heck and six other selected teachers from across the country, known as the Pathfinder 7, will conduct science experiments on suborbital flights. They will then take what they learn back into the classroom.
Heck, an Air Force veteran and eighth-grade Earth science teacher at Milford Junior High in Cincinnati, said he is excited about what this means for his students.
"Every day we will talk about something that pertains to space," Heck said. "Today we were actually studying the atmosphere, and a lot of students were asking questions about space flight as it goes through the atmosphere. So, there are some real world things that are coming alive in the classroom."
Heck's classroom anecdotes reflect the overall mission of Teachers in Space, a privately funded non-profit that aims to inspire students to pursue science and technology by planting tangible examples of teacher-astronauts in schools across the country.
Heck said he hopes that after his space mission, he will "be able to return to the classroom and continue to inspire the future generation of explorers."
Heck said he has wanted to be an astronaut since as young as age 5 or 6, and he attributed his overwhelming fascination with space travel to childhood heroes John Glenn, the Mercury group, and, later on, Neil Armstrong.
"Those guys were my heroes in life, and it's kind of fun to get a chance to be a part of it," Heck said.
Heck began his undergraduate studies at Miami University in 1970, just months after astronaut Neil Armstrong delivered Miami's graduation commencement speech. Heck attended Miami on a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship and joined the Air Force after receiving his master's degree in education.
Heck credited his time at Miami as a significant player in the realization of his dreams.
"President Hodge and I talked about what your Miami degree can do for you," Heck said. "Well, my degree got me into the Air Force and got me into space."
Stephen Alexander, associate professor of physics at Miami, says the path to becoming an astronaut is not an easy one.
"Historically it has been tough," Alexander said. "The original astronauts were the best of the best test pilots, a separate breed."
For Heck, his training for the Pathfinder 7 mission reminds him of things he did with the military.
"I think the training has been about the same," Heck said. "As we continue with our training program, and as we continue to work for the flight, it reminds me a lot of what we did when I was in the Air Force."
When comparing the impact of his time in the Air Force and his work as an educator, Heck said both are of equal importance to him.
"I think it is right down the middle," Heck said. "It has been pretty exciting both ways."
