Santa Monica Space Shuttle astronaut Randy Bresnik, who was spacewalking in orbit last November as his wife gave birth to their baby daughter, received a hero’s welcome March 5, from 3,000 students when he returned to his alma mater, Santa Monica High School, to share his experiences from outer space with students, faculty, staff and local dignitaries.
Bresnik, 42, graduated from Samohi in 1985 and is a Marine officer and experienced combat pilot. A 1989 graduate of The Citadel and one of the only two test pilots selected by NASA for the astronaut class of 2004, he has logged more than 4,500 hours in 79 different aircraft prior to walking in space. As part of the mission on the space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station, the crew delivered express logistics carriers and brought back a fellow NASA Astronaut on Earth.
Lieutenant Col. Bresnik was invited to the campus by Principal Hugo Pedroza.
“The astronaut’s return to Samohi is truly inspirational for our students,” said Pedroza.
