A major highlight of this year’s 47th annual Sturgis Falls Celebration in Cedar Falls this past weekend was celebrity grand marshal, Cedar Falls native and NASA astronaut Raja Chari. Chari has served as the commander of a NASA SpaceX crew mission to the International Space Station and spent nearly 6 months in space between November 2021 and May 2022. He received a key to the city from Mayor Rob Green at the Celebration and met with the media about his role at NASA Friday afternoon. Chari says his birthday this year has been during the Sturgis Falls Celebration and so participating in the parade and events was like a “dream come true.”
Chair talked about his advice on selecting a career, especially with “being an astronaut.”
Currently, NASA is working on the Artemis project, which eventually could have astronauts go back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years, and Chari says he could possibly receive a future assignment to be on a flight crew.
Chari says missions could occur over the next couple of years.
Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green (l) and NASA’s Raja Chari with the Key to the City.
