Researcher gives lecture on her space adventure

Astronaut and former UC Irvine researcher Tracy Caldwell will talk Wednesday night at UCI about her out-of-this-world adventure aboard the shuttle Endeavour.

Caldwell will speak of Endeavour’s mission on the International Space Station and she’ll also return to UCI a 3-inch tall stuffed Peter the Anteater mascot that traveled with her to space during the 13-day August mission.

Caldwell came to UCI in 1997 as a Dreyfus Environmental Postdoctoral Fellow to research atmospheric chemistry.

The lecture will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Beckman Center for the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering building on campus. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested and can be made by contacting Melissa Sweet at (949) 824-2628.

— Joseph Serna