{"id":93302,"date":"2014-05-10T12:37:28","date_gmt":"2014-05-10T16:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=93302"},"modified":"2015-12-03T14:12:32","modified_gmt":"2015-12-03T19:12:32","slug":"a-commencement-speech-from-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2014\/05\/a-commencement-speech-from-space\/","title":{"rendered":"A Commencement Speech from Space"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe title=\"UConn Commencement Address from Space\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DgHhC6aaqHk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not unusual for commencement speakers to share their unique perspective on life with members of a graduating class.<\/p>\n<p>But NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio &#8217;82 (ENG) may have topped them all Saturday when he spoke to the School of Engineering\u2019s 2014 graduating class while floating\u00a0\u2013 upside down\u00a0\u2013 inside the International Space Station 260 miles above the Earth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was trying to figure out how to make this speech different than all the other commencement addresses that are given each year,\u201d Mastracchio said at the start of his pre-recorded videotaped keynote address. \u201cAnd then I realized, I\u2019m in a weightless environment. So maybe I should give the speech in a different orientation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And with that, Mastracchio, flanked by two empty astronaut spacesuits, rotated counterclockwise and briefly continued speaking while inverted.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 0px 10px 10px 15px; clear: both; float: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tweet2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-93336 img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tweet2.jpg\" alt=\"tweet2\" width=\"234\" height=\"600\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tweet2.jpg 338w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tweet2-117x300.jpg 117w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tweet2-164x420.jpg 164w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 234px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 234\/600;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>It was a moment the approximately 400 engineering graduates will likely remember for some time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly cool,\u201d said Rose Cersonsky, a materials science and engineering major and the designated student speaker for the ceremony. \u201cI think it really speaks to the technology today and the caliber of UConn students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As an engineer, Cersonsky said she was intrigued by all the different elements that had to fall into place to incorporate Mastracchio\u2019s remarks into the program remotely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was only 50 years ago that a simple thunderstorm could interrupt a long-distance conversation,\u201d Cersonsky said. \u201cNow, an astronaut can speak to us from 250 miles above the Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Engineering graduate Gregory Reinhold, a computer science &amp; engineering major, said he too was excited that Mastracchio was tapped to be this year\u2019s keynote speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s such a unique experience,\u201d Reinhold said. \u201cIt\u2019s rare to get a chance to hear someone speaking from space. It\u2019s exciting that he chose to speak at our graduation. It isn\u2019t often an alum speaks at Commencement who has received so much national recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mastracchio\u2019s six-and-a-half minute speech was broadcast on the Gampel Pavilion scoreboards to about 5,000 graduates, their families, and friends in attendance. His wife, Candi, accepted an honorary degree on her husband\u2019s behalf during the ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>A UConn alum who has made four trips to outer space, Mastracchio is one of nine distinguished individuals receiving honorary degrees from the University this year. He has been living and working aboard the ISS since November 2013, and is scheduled to return to Earth May 14.<\/p>\n<p>A Waterbury, Conn. native, Mastracchio graduated from UConn with a bachelor\u2019s degree in electrical engineering and computer engineering. After beginning his career with Hamilton Standard (now UTC Aerospace Systems), he transferred to Houston, where he applied his engineering knowledge supporting 17 NASA missions as a flight controller. He was accepted into the astronaut corps in 1996.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, Mastracchio said he probably has \u201cthe best job on \u2013 and off \u2013 the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He noted that he first applied to become an astronaut following the space shuttle Challenger accident in 1986. He continued sending in applications over the next nine years before finally being accepted into the nation\u2019s elite space program. The importance of perseverance and hard work was the main theme of his keynote address.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t just sending in an application and crossing my fingers,\u201d Mastracchio told the graduates. \u201cI was working on things to improve my chances. I went to the University of Houston at night to get a second master\u2019s degree. On weekends, I trained for and received my pilot\u2019s license. I worked hard to build up a good reputation at the Johnson Space Center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou become an astronaut the same way you accomplish any goal \u2013 through hard work and perseverance,\u201d added Mastracchio, who lived in East and North campus residence halls during his time at UConn. \u201cEveryone has goals, dreams, and wishes, but not everybody wants to do the daily work it takes to reach their goals. &#8230; You achieve big things not with one big step but with many small steps. You didn\u2019t complete college in one day. It took you working hard almost daily for four or five years. Other big goals and accomplishments will probably take a similar level of work and effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mastracchio said he\u2019s come to realize that the difference between those who become astronauts, those who achieve their goals, and those who don\u2019t is the ability to work toward their goals on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have shown that ability,\u201d he told the graduates. \u201cYou have succeeded in graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. Let me tell you and let me tell your parents, your family, your friends \u2013 that is not easy. \u2026 I know you\u2019ve worked hard to get to this point and now you know: You know how to achieve a major goal. You know how to work hard. You know that you can succeed at difficult tasks. That same work ethic and perseverance that got you to this point can take you a long way. It is up to you on which direction you go and how far you take yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mastracchio said he could never have imagined as a UConn student that his rigorous studies and training would someday lead him into space, where he helped build the International Space Station during early space shuttle missions. He has logged more than 51 hours of spacewalks, including two unplanned spacewalks during his current mission to replace a faulty computer unit and repair a vital cooling system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo remember, that all of those small steps and all of that hard work can take you a long, long way,\u201d Mastracchio said in closing. \u201cLet me finish up by saying to the parents, families, and friends of the graduates, I know you are proud of your graduate but you should also be impressed by their accomplishment. And to the graduates, let me say that it is great to work hard. But remember, your family is very important. And remember to also have some fun along the way\u00a0\u2013 I know I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And with that, Mastracchio donned a UConn baseball cap and signed off, but not before rotating once more and smiling down on the graduates from his weightless, upside down inversion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio &#8217;82 (ENG) presented a unique perspective in his address to UConn engineering graduates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":93014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1866,2234,70],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[44],"class_list":["post-93302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-engr","category-university-life","category-video"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-05 20:42:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93302"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106262,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93302\/revisions\/106262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/93014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93302"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=93302"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=93302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}