Former astronaut brings message of civic responsibility to campus

From his vantage point on the space shuttle Endeavor and the International Space Station in 2002, astronaut John Herrington was in awe of the view.

“You see the world from different perspectives,” Herrington said. “There are no borders, no political affiliations.” 

Now retired, Herrington serves on the steering committee of Astronauts for America , a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of former NASA astronauts that promotes civic participation and voter registration. 

Herrington, the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to travel to space, visited the City Campus on September 15 — National Voter Registration Day — to share his life story and journey to becoming an astronaut with GVSU students.

The event was sponsored by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, the Padros/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse, Office of Student Life, GVSU Votes and Student Senate. 

Herrington drew comparisons between his experiences as an astronaut and U.S. Navy test pilot and the responsibility of being a citizen.

“If you aren’t prepared for the mission, it will ultimately fail,” Herrington said. “Democracy is not a spectator sport.”

Herrington pointed to the 1960 U.S. presidential election, which pitted Richard Nixon against John F. Kennedy. Kennedy won the popular vote by just 0.17 percentage points, making it one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history.