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Boston, Massachusetts. A city
rich in history, culture, and

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most notably, sports. For more
than a decade it’s been referred

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to as the City of Champions. And
at it’s heart lies the iconic

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Fenway Park, home to the Boston
Red Sox. Today, thousands of

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kids will crowd this stadium –
but it’s not in the name of

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sports. Instead, today is all
about science. On May 30th 2018,

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Fenway Park became the command
center for a unique NASA mission

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- a showcase about the wonders
of our universe, and the many

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ways NASA scientists study it.
The concourse was transformed

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into a science center featuring
exhibits, hands on activities,

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and demonstrations. 60 schools
in the region participated,

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bringing in over 4000 kids.
Students and teachers alike

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learned about everything from
meteorites, to solar eclipses,

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and how we search for
exoplanets. Leading this

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endeavor was the Project
Scientist of the Lunar

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Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission –
Noah Petro. His presentation

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about geological features on the
Moon was just the beginning of

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an all-star lineup of presenters
discussing planetary and Earth

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science, heliophysics and
astrophysics. Space-themed

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visuals drew eyes to Fenway’s
famous jumbotron, while a lesson

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on light waves brought a more
familiar wave to grandstands.

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And down on the field, water
bottle rockets launched skyward

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for all to see. The excitement
in the air was palpable.

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The closer for today’s event was
someone sure to be in NASA’s own

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hall of fame: Astronaut Sunita
Williams. Having served on the

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International Space Station and
as the Commander for Expedition

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33. Captain Williams once held
the women’s record for total

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spacewalks and spacewalk time,
and was even the first person to

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run the Boston Marathon from
space. Her time at Fenway

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undoubtedly inspired a whole new
generation of future space

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explorers. After the STEM Day
closed up shop, there was one

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final NASA surprise in store.
The national anthem for the

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Red Sox game was performed by
professional harpist, and NASA

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Goddard scientist, Maria Banks.

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[music]

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The performance was out of this
world.

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In the end, the crew of
this mission found it to be a

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great success. By showcasing the
wide variety of disciplines and

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work being done at NASA, a
simple message of the day became

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clear: No matter where you came
from, or what field you wind up

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in or on, the universe is yours
if you put your mind to it.