When the astronauts of Artemis II return safely to Earth tonight, the Little Rock School District will have a special connection to the historic moment.
Shawna Shannon, a teacher at Little Rock Central High School, will be watching with pride as her son, Petty Officer First Class Brad Shannon, helps bring the astronauts home. Brad serves aboard the USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26), the Navy ship tasked with recovering the Orion capsule after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Once the spacecraft lands, Brad and his fellow sailors will help retrieve the capsule, welcome the astronauts aboard, and transport them safely back to San Diego. For the past several months, Brad has been working closely with NASA crews as part of the mission’s recovery operations. His role even drew the attention of several national news outlets during recent training exercises.
Brad recently shared a photo with his mother from a practice recovery mission, giving her- and the LRSD community - a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the work happening to support America’s return to deep space exploration.
For Shannon, who is quite modest about the exciting connection, the moment is deeply personal. She shared the news quietly with her principal, Nancy Rousseau.
“I know you will be watching tonight,” she wrote. “I thought you might like to share my joy.”
Rousseau, who regularly celebrates the accomplishments of her students and staff, could hardly contain her excitement when she learned the news and quickly shared it with her entire team.
“Hearing about the role Brad is playing in bringing astronauts safely home is truly extraordinary,” said Rousseau. “We are so proud of Brad and the service he is providing to our country, and we celebrate the Shannon family for the example they continue to set for our students. Moments like this remind us that the Central community reaches far beyond our classrooms - even to the mission of exploring space.”
As the world celebrates the next chapter of exploration led by NASA, the LRSD community has one more reason to look to the skies with pride - knowing that a connection from one of its classrooms, though by extension, is helping guide America’s astronauts safely back home.
Additional information about the mission: https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/4452625/uss-john-p-murtha-to-support-nasas-artemis-ii-mission/
(Photo accompanying this article shared compliments of Shawna Shannon, and depicts the previous retrieval of the practice capsule.)