Purdue alum Jerry Ross donates space memorabilia to school
February 11, 2013 10:00AM
It's time for a smile from Jerry Ross after a spacewalk that repaired the massive and extremely expensive Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. | Courtesy of NASA~Sun-Times Media
Updated: February 11, 2013 11:04PM
WEST LAFAYETTE (AP) — Purdue University is adding more to its historical archives about the long line of astronauts who have graduated from the school.
The university says that Crown Point native Jerry Ross is giving mission manuals, films, video and memorabilia that stretch from his days as a Purdue student in the 1960s and ‘70s through his more than 30 years with NASA.
Ross flew on seven space shuttle flights. He shares the record with another NASA astronaut for the most launches into space and ranks third with nine spacewalks.
The Purdue Libraries archives collections from alumni astronauts Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan — the first and last of the 12 men to walk on the moon.
