FSU Astronaut Returns to Frostburg
Katie Walker
Issue date: 3/10/10 Section: The Pulse
Frostburg State University (FSU) Alum Richard "Ricky" Arnold, who graduated in 1985, returned Thursday to share his NASA space exploration stories with students.
During the hour-long presentation, Arnold showed footage from his mission aboard the STS-119 Discovery Shuttle, explained what space travel was really like, and answered the audience's many questions about his personal journey to success.
Arnold's tale is a bit of an unusual one. He began his career at Frostburg State University, as a slightly confused freshman. Though Arnold had been interested in science since he was a child, some initial scheduling "conflicts" led him to enroll in the Accounting program instead.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in his chosen major, Arnold began to pursue another major passion: Science. He started working at the U.S. Naval Academy as an Oceanographic Technician, completed his teacher's certification at Frostburg in 1988 and began working as a middle school science teacher in Waldorf, Maryland. Arnold's love of teaching led him to various areas of the world, teaching college preparatory classes and workshops in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Romania.
In May 2004, Arnold's life took a major turn when he was selected as a Mission Specialist by NASA. He completed Astronaut Candidate Training in 2006, which was a very rigorous, intense process to determine whether or not he was a fit candidate for the upcoming NASA space mission. Arnold was selected from over 5,000 applicants to come aboard the STS-119 Discovery Shuttle. The goal of the mission was to deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and trusses to the International Space Station. Arnold's crew would also return with an expedition crew member.
The STS-119 Discovery Shuttle was launched at the Kennedy Space Center on March 15, 2009. Arnold, who had trained for five years for this event, was more ready for the mission to literally "take-off."
"After a few hours strapped on your back [in the shuttle], you're more than ready to go, no matter what happens," he said. He added that being launched into space is an "indescribable" feeling.
During the hour-long presentation, Arnold showed footage from his mission aboard the STS-119 Discovery Shuttle, explained what space travel was really like, and answered the audience's many questions about his personal journey to success.
Arnold's tale is a bit of an unusual one. He began his career at Frostburg State University, as a slightly confused freshman. Though Arnold had been interested in science since he was a child, some initial scheduling "conflicts" led him to enroll in the Accounting program instead.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in his chosen major, Arnold began to pursue another major passion: Science. He started working at the U.S. Naval Academy as an Oceanographic Technician, completed his teacher's certification at Frostburg in 1988 and began working as a middle school science teacher in Waldorf, Maryland. Arnold's love of teaching led him to various areas of the world, teaching college preparatory classes and workshops in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Romania.
In May 2004, Arnold's life took a major turn when he was selected as a Mission Specialist by NASA. He completed Astronaut Candidate Training in 2006, which was a very rigorous, intense process to determine whether or not he was a fit candidate for the upcoming NASA space mission. Arnold was selected from over 5,000 applicants to come aboard the STS-119 Discovery Shuttle. The goal of the mission was to deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and trusses to the International Space Station. Arnold's crew would also return with an expedition crew member.
The STS-119 Discovery Shuttle was launched at the Kennedy Space Center on March 15, 2009. Arnold, who had trained for five years for this event, was more ready for the mission to literally "take-off."
"After a few hours strapped on your back [in the shuttle], you're more than ready to go, no matter what happens," he said. He added that being launched into space is an "indescribable" feeling.
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