Rusk will host 'NASA Comes Home' May 13-15 at Thomas J. Rusk Hotel

Rusk area citizens will have an opportunity to visit a NASA display at the Thomas J. Rusk Hotel on the north side of the square in Rusk.

The showing is scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 13-Thursday, May 15. The display is free to the public.

An earlier event is planned for 5-8 p.m. May 6 and May 9 at the Lon Morris Gym.

Entitled "NASA Comes Home" this is a opportunity for area citizens to learn more about the U.S. space program, said Connie Brown, Rusk Chamber of Commerce manager.

The display features life size and scaled exhibits of shuttles, space tools and equipment, astronaut food and much more.

The event is sponsored by the Cherokee County Leadership Advisory Board of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, the Rusk and Jacksonville Chambers of Commerce, Lon Morris College and the Thomas J. Rusk Hotel.

"Astronaut suits worn on the moon during the Apollo program from 1969-72 will also be displayed," said Ms. Brown. The suits are multilayered and designed for comfort, utility and protection from the harsh environment of space.

A life support backpack provided cooling, oxygen and communications for the suited astronaut. Cost of the suit was $5,185.

Food eaten by astronauts will also be displayed. Space food is packaged differently to meet strict dietary and nutritional standards.

"It has to be compact, lightweight and easily prepared," said Ms. Brown.

During the Mercury missions in the early 1960s, space food consisted of finely processed food eaten from squeeze tubes and bite-sized food cubes or tablets.

Today aboard the space shuttle, astronauts choose from more than 100 food items that are provided in various forms, such as powdered, freeze-dehydrated, heat-stablized and natural. Food products are often reconstituted by adding hot or cold water. Most foods are made more palatable by the use of a variety of condiments and seasonings.