Three teachers and an astronaut

A few weeks ago three science teachers from Burns Junior/Senior High School had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and greet a member of NASA's group of active astronauts in Gering, Ne.

Active astronauts? Who are they and what do they do? In this case, the astronaut that Anna Farrel, Dan Clayson and Eric Allen, along with Burns student Rebecca Smith and Principal Jerry Becking, met was Air Force Lt. Col. Nick Hague, age 40. He is classified as active because he and several others like him are all in the arduous process of training for their turn at living on the International Space Stati...