VAN HORN, TX. — Morgantown native Emily Calandrelli, and host of Emily’s Wonder Lab and Emily’s Science Lab, became the 100th woman to blast off into space. Calandrelli made the flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle.
Calandrelli was one of six crewmembers on the New Shepard, including Sharon Hagle, founder of SpaceKids Global; Marc Hagle, CEO of Tricor International; financial professional Austin Litteral; J.D. Russell, founder of InfoHOA; and Henry Wolfond, CEO of Bayshore Capital.
The mission is about 11 minutes in duration and goes 62 miles into the atmosphere, offering views of the earth and space.
Calandrelli is a WVU graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering and an M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics and an M.S. in technology and policy from MIT.
Calandrelli brought 10 important things with her on the flight, including:
A painting of her daughter as an astronaut
Her dad’s college ring
Petri dishes with plant seedlings and 100,000 Fast Plant seeds to distribute to students
A roll of stickers that she will put on signed books that will be sent out to children
Pins, brooches, and cufflinks that all have different meanings, including some with West Virginia state flags
Meteorites that fell from Russia in 1947
Pearls to give to important women in her life
Star charms to give to little girls
Photos of the 99 women who went to space before her