Northeast Philly Renaissance Continues: Ex-NEstie To Go Into Space

Okay, so Bianca Ryan’s million dollars is a pretty big thing to happen to Northeast Philadelphia; probably the biggest thing since, uh, ever.

But Ryan might’ve just been one-upped by Chris Ferguson, who is slated to head into space at the end of the month. Space? Holy shit! (Ferguson is also a fellow alum of St. Martha’s grade school, although our similarities pretty much end there, since he’s successful.)

During his roughly 12 days in space, the 44-year-old Ferguson will “conduct high-intensity robotics operations and perform administrative jobs,” according to the Northeast Times. (That second part kind of makes him sound like a space secretary.) Ferguson also plays drums in a “rock and roll band,” according to his NASA bio.

The main point of the mission is to install solar panels on the International Space Station. But it’s not just that:

“Expanding your horizons doesn’t come without a cost,” he said, adding that Earth is a small planet in a large universe.

NASA’s long-term goal is to go farther into the universe, perhaps to Mars or back to the moon. It might be generations before NASA gets back to the moon or centuries before Earth can colonize another planet, but Ferguson is glad to be doing his part to advance the cause.

“You have to start some place,” he said.

And, really, what better place to start than by installing some solar panels. Godspeed.

Off he’ll go… [Northeast Times]
Christopher J. Ferguson [NASA]