Under the Florida twilight sky, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-117, and its seven astronauts, scheduled to launch into space Friday, June 8 on their mission to the International Space Station, will carry a Virginia Tech flag as a tribute and symbol of the resilient spirit of the university community following the tragedy of April 16 at the university.

The special, custom designed Virginia Tech flag will be on the Atlantis’ payload and will be flown during the mission. Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 7:38 pm EDT on June 8 from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A. “We are honored to be recognized by NASA in this way,” said Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. “The relationship between Virginia Tech and NASA is long and deep with many hundreds of Virginia Tech alumni that work in NASA today and the many other Hokies that have contributed to its rich history and accomplishments.”

“Our spirit of recovery is strong at Virginia Tech and we share in the pride of being a part of Atlantis’ mission,” Steger added.

Astronaut and Virginia Tech alumnus Charlie Camarda had carried a smaller VT flag aboard the space shuttle Discovery, STS 114, during the July 26- August 9, 2005 mission. STS-114 was the first return to flight following the loss of Columbia on February 1, 2003. Camarda presented that VT flag to the university in November 2005.

On April 25 a Pegasus rocket was launched and sported a Virginia Tech memorial ribbon logo in memory of the students and faculty members that were lost on April 16. The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft is on a two-year mission to study noctilucent clouds, which are clouds that shine brightly at night and are typically concentrated around the poles, to discover what is causing them to appear more frequently and at lower latitudes.

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