Tech Students Fascinated With Wilmore In Space

Tennessee Tech students got the opportunity to ask questions of Tennessee Tech Alum Barry Wilmore Tuesday at the International Space Station.

Wilmore has been stuck in space since June 5th. Many students lined up to ask questions about his day-to-day duties in space and Wilmore even demonstrated how he uses a special sleeping bag to sleep in space. Wilmore said Tennessee Tech was the first building block for his career.

“It’s where you are right now,” Wilmore said. “It was Tennessee Tech, it was the rigor of the classroom, and also I played football as well, and balancing those together gave me a wonderful foundation going forward, so you are in the best to do whatever you desire to do right there at Tech.”

Wilmore even showed students what his view looks like out of his window, which consisted of glimpses of the International Space Station and the sun. Wilmore encouraged engineering students to persevere as his perseverance to achieve at Tennessee Tech helped prepare him as an astronaut.

“It’s not an easy curriculum as it should be because it is preparing you for a future that can be very broad,” Wilmore said. “And what area you might go into is unknown where you are at right now, so it’s very broad and very deep as well. Study the program that you have and take advantage of it. Learn as much as you can because you never know where life will take you.”

Wilmore was originally planned to only stay in space for eight days but thruster problems have caused severe delays in his return back to Earth. Wilmore is expected to return to Earth in February of 2025. Wilmore used the circumstance as a teaching point for students on why being prepared is a key to success.

“We have had some difficult situations that the preparation is what has made it work out,” Wilmore said. “You know working on a space station this is my fifth month and I’ve got four months to go or four and a half something like that I don’t even know we got a while to go and we were prepared for this. We didn’t expect to be here but we prepared every step of the way. We prepared anyway even though we didn’t plan to be here and that preparation is what has brought us success today.”

Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham said the event was a very unique experience as not many universities have someone who is an astronaut. Oldham said Wilmore is someone the students can look up to.

“He is such a great spokesperson not only for NASA but for Tennessee Tech,” Oldham said. “He is a great role model for these students so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these kids.”

Oldham said Tennessee Tech has countless examples of students achieving great things just like Wilmore. Oldham said he hopes students will understand how much potential they have and work hard to unlock their full potential.

Wilmore said the first thing he will do once he returns to Earth is hug his wife and his daughters.