Karen Nyberg Photo Exhibit at Museum

Karen Nyberg Photo Exhibit at Museum
An exhibition of NASA photographs taken by astronaut Karen Nyberg is now on display at the Otter Tail County Historical Society Museum. The photos were taken during Nyberg’s stay on the International Space Station from May 29, 2013 - November 11, 2013.
     A native of Vining Nyberg graduated from Henning High School in 1988. After receiving her doctorate from the University of Texas in Mechanical Science, Nyberg accepted a position with NASA in 1998 working as an Environmental Control Systems Engineer. While her work was challenging and rewarding, she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming an astronaut.
     In 1999, Nyberg began her training undergoing extensive interviews, medical and psychological evaluations and intense physical training. She was one of the few women to be accepted into the class of 2000.
     When asked in 2002 why she wanted to put herself through such training, she commented in a typically understated Minnesota way, “being an astronaut is a pretty darn cool job, from old-guard test pilots to modern space scientists, astronauts share a common theme of wanting adventure and trying new challenges.”
     Karen has spent a total of 180 days in space over the course of two missions in 2008 and 2013. During the latter she gained a large following while orbiting the earth 2,656 times aboard the Space Station. She had almost 100,000 twitter followers and more than 35,000 Facebook friends.
     Karen Nyberg’s photographs will be on display until January 27, 2017. For more information contact the Otter Tail County Historical Society at 218-736-6038 or find us on Facebook.