FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE & CULTURE
(9-13 March 2005)

The first Black astronaut to walk in space, Dr Bernard Harris, is to visit the National Space Centre as part of the Festival of Science and Culture which will take place from the 9th - 13th March at the National Space Centre, Leicester. The festival will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his groundbreaking walk, with Dr Harris giving talks and workshops to invited groups and members of the general public.

Dr. Harris trained as a flight surgeon at the Aerospace School of medicine, Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas in 1988. NASA selected Dr. Harris in 1990, and he became an astronaut in July 1991. He also has a Master's degree in biomedical science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, received in 1996. 2005 is a landmark year, for it has been ten years since Dr. Harris' most recent space flight in 1995. He was the Payload Commander on STS-63 (February 2-11, 1995), the first flight of the new Russian - American Space Programme. During the flight, he became the first African American to walk in space. He has logged 198 hours, 29 minutes in space, completed 129 orbits, and travelled over 2.9 million miles!

Dr Harris said; "I am looking forward to returning to the United Kingdom. I am excited by the opportunity to share my experiences in space travel with everyone in Leicester and the surrounding areas."

The second Festival of Science and Culture at the National Space Centre will celebrate cultural diversity in scientific achievements and sets out to inspire young people from all communities about careers in science, technology, maths and engineering. Building on the fantastic response to the first Festival in 2003, this year guarantees to be bigger and better. Working with groups from the Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali and Kenyan communities the festival hopes to raise awareness of science and the careers in scientific technologies.

Kaajal Kotecha, Project Manager for the Festival said; "Community cohesion is one of this years priorities, as well as education. We want the Festival to celebrate all of the diverse and fantastic communities that make Leicester the eclectic city it is. The Festival should reflect every communities achievements and support the educational needs of all."

This week of events starts on 9th March, with events for community and school groups. On the 12th and 13th March the Festival will culminate in a fantastic weekend for families and visitors to the National Space Centre, with mouth-watering cuisine, steel bands, music workshops, space themed events, simulated space missions and a chance to meet an Astronaut.

Community groups, families and individuals can get involved in the Festival by contacting the Project Officer on 0116 261 0261 or checking out the web site www.festivalofscienceandculture.co.uk

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SPACE CENTRE

The National Space Centre is the UK's largest visitor attraction and research facility dedicated to space. The National Space Centre opened to the public in June 2001 and has welcomed nearly 1 million visitors, including 200,000 school children. It is the Millennium Commission landmark project for the East Midlands. It was co-founded by The University of Leicester and Leicester City Council. Its other founding partners are BT and East Midlands Development Agency.