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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2004
CONTACT: Roland Ruiz, Director of Public Relations, St. Philip's College, 210/531-4851

FORMER ASTRONAUT TO HIGHLIGHT ST. PHILIP'S COLLEGE SALUTE TO VETERANS NOV. 5

Former astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel John Blaha will headline a St. Philip's College Salute to Veterans on Friday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m. in the Watson Fine Arts Center Theatre. The special program, presented by the college’s Office of Veteran's Affairs in observance of Veterans Day, will honor the men and women who have served in the military, including reservists and active military personnel past and present. All veterans are encouraged to wear their uniforms to the event.

Blaha was selected an astronaut in 1980 and has since logged 161 days in space on five space missions. He served as pilot on Shuttle Discovery (STS-33 and STS 29), was Spacecraft Commander on Shuttle Columbia (STS-58) and Atlantis (STS-43), served on the Mir Space Station (Mir-22) as Board Engineer 2, and was a Mission Specialist on STS-79 and STS-81. In addition to flying space missions, Blaha has served as the chairman of the NASA Space Flight Safety Panel; Weather Manager of the Mission Management Team; lead spacecraft communicator; and a member of the NASA Space Shuttle Improvement Panel. Blaha also led the design, development, and integration of the Orbiter Head Up Display system. Additionally, he led the development of contingency abort procedures which significantly improve crew survivability in the event of multiple main engine failures during ascent. He has logged more than 7,000 hours of flying time in 34 different aircraft, and has written numerous technical articles on spacecraft performance and control. John Blaha retired from NASA in September 1997 to return to his hometown of San Antonio where he now resides with his family.

St. Philip’s College, one of the Alamo Community Colleges serving the greater Bexar County region, is a comprehensive community college designated as both an Historically Black College and an Hispanic Serving Institution. St. Philip’s College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.