Former NASA astronaut Danny Olivas is coming to Cal Poly on Thursday, Oct. 22, as part of Astronauts for America’s nationwide Vote for Freedom college tour. The event aims to encourage young people to vote ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.
The event, hosted by the Cal Poly Journalism Department, will take place in the Advanced Technology Laboratory on campus from 11 a.m. to noon and is free and open to the public. There will be a moderated discussion about voting, democracy and civic engagement between Olivas and Alex Cohen, followed by student Q&A. Cohen is an assistant professor in the Journalism Department and a Spectrum News anchor.
Astronauts for America, or AFA, is a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by more than 100 former NASA astronauts, and its mission includes defending the Constitution, encouraging civic participation and promoting evidence-based leadership. This is the organization’s first Vote for Freedom college tour.
The tour will have reached 25 campuses across 18 states by Nov. 3, according to AFA
“AFA’s main goal is to get Cal Poly students registered and to the polls ahead of the November 3rd midterm elections,” Spokesperson Samantha DeNaro wrote in an email to Mustang News. “They hope students leave the talk feeling empowered to participate in democracy, starting with casting their vote, and that they remember the event’s central message: ‘Going to the polls is one small step for you, and one giant leap for our country.’”
Olivas is the co-founder of AFA and a former NASA astronaut who flew on two space shuttle missions: STS-117 and STS-128, both of which involved construction and maintenance of the International Space Station. He completed five spacewalks totaling 34 hours and 28 minutes and holds six U.S. patents.
AFA described Cal Poly as a “natural fit” for the tour, with California college students being one of the organization’s priorities and Olivas’ California roots, with his birthplace being North Hollywood.