Astronaut talks from orbit to Scouts at the World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree reaches Scouts and Scouters from nearly every corner of the globe. This week, it connected with a Scouter who is out of this world.
Astronaut and assistant Scoutmaster Andrew Morgan of Troop 452 in Friendswood, Texas, answered Scouts’ questions while aboard the International Space Station. He arrived on the ISS just a few days prior to the video call with Scouts, and he was prepared for it, wearing his Scout uniform and displaying a World Scout Jamboree flag during the call. He will be in space until March 2020, serving as a flight engineer while the crew conducts science experiments and does spacewalks to make repairs.
As an assistant scoutmaster and a father of scouts, it was a pleasure to join the World Scout Jamboree from @Space_Station. The #ScoutJamboree, much like Station, brings out the best of international cooperation and service for something bigger than ourselves! pic.twitter.com/8O7W6HGnW2
— Andrew Morgan (@AstroDrewMorgan) July 25, 2019
Talking with Scouts
The call only lasted about 20 minutes, but that was enough time for Scouts to ask about Morgan’s mission and his connection with Scouting. Morgan will be in orbit for two expeditions, which will focus on experiments ranging from robotics to RNA sequencing.
NASA selected Morgan, an emergency physician in the U.S. Army, in 2013 as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class. After two years, he completed his initial training before working in NASA’s robotics and crew operations branches.
“The training we receive is so excellent, and thus far in my mission, I feel like I’ve been fully trained for everything that I have encountered,” he says.
Morgan is used to being prepared. He was a Cub Scout and got involved in Scouting again with his children, his oldest earning the Eagle Scout Award a couple of weeks prior to his launch. He also has three daughters, one of whom is about to join Scouting. He plans to stay involved with the troop while in space.
He also shared why he thinks being in Scouting is so important.
“It teaches you what I believe is one of the most valuable things you can take in life, which is a sense of service,” Morgan says. “A sense of service to something bigger than yourselves, making you a better citizen of the planet, and that is a principle of Scouting around the world, which is why it’s so important that you are all gathered there to celebrate this common bond that you have.”
Morgan requested that he still receive Scouting magazine while in space.
“I will be keeping up with Scouting news,” Morgan says.
Watch the call
Watch the NASA broadcast here: