They’ll offer free programs to children and adults, like robotics, coding, and welding to help them earn higher-paying jobs.

NASA is teaming up with the maker of Tide to figure out how to do laundry in space.

Amateur astronauts, private space stations, flying factories, out-of-this-world movie sets this is the future the space agency is striving to shape as it eases out of low-Earth orbit and aims for the moon and Mars. But the future is incredibly exciting, NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren said the day before SpaceXs historic liftoff. The ticket price which includes 15 weeks of training and more than a week at the space station is about $55 million. Beginning in 2024, Axiom plans to build its own addition to the 260-mile-high (420-kilometer-high) outpost to accommodate its private astronauts. SpaceX still has to get NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken safely back to Earth this summer in its Dragon capsule.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A well-known local astronaut is reaching young people worldwide, hoping to inspire NASA’s next scientist. Lynchburg native Leland Melvin has launched a virtual lesson called Chasing Space. Leland’s first episode reached 26,000 kids, including some in the Hill City, who are at home and can’t go to school because of the pandemic. “My mother gave me an age inappropriate, non- OSHA certified chemistry set and I blew her living room up. Don’t do that, but find that thing you’re curious about,” Melvin said.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A local astronaut is giving back to the Lynchburg community. Leland Melvin, a retired NASA astronaut, donated $10,000 to the Jubilee Family Development Center in Lynchburg. Melvin included this message with his donation: “Thank you for helping inspire the next generation of explorers! Godspeed on the journey!”Leland Melvin, a local astronaut, donated $10,000 to Jubilee Family Development Center (WSLS)The $10,000 donation will support the center’s STEM program and Summer Enrichment Camp. He served as the co-chair on the White House’s Federal Coordination in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.)