Meet NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara at the University of Kansas: KU Reads Event Brings Spaceflight to Lawrence, USA

An Evening With a Jayhawk Who Has Seen Earth From Orbit

Few university homecomings involve a guest who has circled the Earth more than 3,000 times. On Oct. 8, the University of Kansas will welcome home one of its most accomplished graduates when NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara returns to Lawrence for “From Lawrence to Low-Earth Orbit: An Evening with Loral O’Hara.” The event, the headline program of the 2026-27 KU Reads: A Common Book Experience, runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Kansas Union Ballroom. It is free and open to the public, and a livestream will be available through the Hall Center for the Humanities’ Crowdcast channel, extending the conversation to audiences across the USA and around the world.

O’Hara earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from KU in 2005. Less than two decades later, she had logged 204 days aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer on Expedition 70, completed a spacewalk lasting nearly seven hours, and orbited the planet 3,264 times before returning to Earth in April 2024. Her appearance offers students, alumni, and Lawrence residents a rare chance to hear directly from someone who has lived the experience most people only encounter in books and documentaries.

For anyone interested in spaceflight, aerospace engineering, or the power of a shared reading experience, this Lawrence event deserves a spot on the calendar. Explore the KU Reads webpage for the full schedule of programming built around this year’s selection and related events planned throughout the academic year.

From Aerospace Engineering Student to NASA Astronaut

A Career That Started in Lawrence

O’Hara’s path to orbit began in an engineering classroom at the University of Kansas. After completing her degree in 2005, she built a career in ocean engineering and deep-sea research before NASA selected her as an astronaut candidate in 2017. That combination of experience, working in one of the most hostile environments on Earth before working in the most hostile environment off it, gives her a distinctive perspective on exploration, risk, and problem-solving under pressure.

In September 2023, she launched to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. During her 204 days in orbit, she served as a flight engineer, supported dozens of scientific investigations, and performed a spacewalk of nearly seven hours. By the time she returned in April 2024, she had completed 3,264 orbits of the Earth.

What Time in Space Teaches About Life on Earth

One of the most anticipated elements of the evening is the opportunity to hear how the experience changed O’Hara’s view of the planet. Astronauts consistently describe a cognitive shift, sometimes called the overview effect, that comes from watching sunrises every 90 minutes and seeing national borders disappear against the curvature of the Earth. That theme aligns directly with this year’s KU Reads selection and gives attendees a real-world counterpart to the ideas explored in the book.

For students considering careers in engineering, science, or space exploration, O’Hara’s story is also a practical case study. Her route to NASA was neither straight nor guaranteed, and her remarks are likely to touch on how an education at a public research university in the USA can open doors to national laboratories, industry, and, eventually, orbit.

KU Reads and “Orbital”: Why a Common Book Matters

The evening is organized around the 2026-27 KU Reads selection, “Orbital” by Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize. The novel follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station as they circle the Earth 16 times in a single day, meditating on humanity, connection, and the planet below. It is a work of fiction, but it draws on the documented experiences of real crews, which is precisely why pairing it with a current astronaut makes sense.

“During this event, we’ll hear from one of our very own Jayhawks who has recently experienced space firsthand aboard the ISS,” said Samantha Greeson, KU Common Book Librarian. “This conversation will continue our campuswide exploration inspired by ‘Orbital’ as we ponder the wonder of the universe, the importance of research in space and the distinctly human experience of space travel. We’ll explore what becomes visible when we see Earth from a new perspective and how that shift can change the way we see ourselves, our planet and our place within it.”

KU Reads: A Common Book Experience invites students, faculty, staff, and community members to share a single reading each year. The program anchors a year of discussions, lectures, and courses that explore common themes, in this case perspective, science, human connection, and shared responsibility for the planet. Common reading programs like this one give first-year students an immediate intellectual common ground, give faculty a shared text to build coursework around, and give the broader Lawrence community a reason to engage with the university’s academic life.

Read the book before the event if you can. Attendees who arrive familiar with “Orbital” consistently get more from these conversations, and the discussion is certain to draw direct connections between Harvey’s fiction and O’Hara’s lived experience aboard the station.

What to Expect at the Lawrence Event

A Panel With Genuine Spaceflight Credentials

The evening will be moderated by Giselle Anatol, director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, in a conversation featuring rotating guests throughout the program. O’Hara will be joined by an unusually qualified panel:

• Steve Hawley, KU professor emeritus and former NASA astronaut, whose own career includes multiple Space Shuttle missions, giving the discussion a multi-generational view of human spaceflight.
• Richard Hale, KU Spahr Professor of Aerospace Engineering, who can speak to the technical and educational side of preparing engineers for the aerospace industry.
• Sarah Lamm, KU geology graduate student and NASA solar system ambassador, representing the student perspective and planetary science.

This mix matters. Discussions about space travel often drift toward either pure inspiration or pure technical detail. A panel that includes a retired astronaut, a working engineering professor, and a current graduate student is structured to cover the realities of spaceflight, the research conducted in orbit, and what life looks like after returning from space.

Questions From the Audience and Stargazing Under Kansas Skies

The event will close with a Q&A session built from questions submitted in advance by students, faculty, staff, and community members. Submitting a question ahead of time is the most reliable way to get it addressed, so take a few minutes to prepare one before the deadline.

Following the indoor program, KU’s Department of Physics & Astronomy will set up telescopes outside the Kansas Union for public viewing of the night sky. It is a fitting ending: an evening that begins with a conversation about seeing Earth from orbit concludes with attendees looking upward from Lawrence. Check the forecast, dress for the season, and plan to stay after the talk.

Submit your questions in advance through the event’s question form, then plan to join the stargazing session afterward to make the most of the night.

Practical Details for Attending

Here is what prospective attendees need to know:

• Date and time: Oct. 8, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
• Location: Kansas Union Ballroom, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
• Admission: Free and open to the public. No ticket is required, but arriving early is advisable given expected interest.
• Livestream: Available through the Hall Center for the Humanities’ Crowdcast channel for those who cannot attend in person.
• Accessibility: The Kansas Union is an accessible venue; contact KU Libraries for specific accommodation requests.

Making the Most of a Visit to Lawrence

If you are traveling to the event from outside the area, build in time to experience the campus. The University of Kansas is located on Mount Oread, and a walk through the central campus, past Strong Hall and the Memorial Campanile, offers a good sense of the institution that produced an astronaut. Downtown Lawrence, a short distance from the Kansas Union, has bookstores where you can pick up a copy of “Orbital” and restaurants for a meal before the program.

Plan your visit to the University of Kansas campus ahead of time, review parking options near the Kansas Union, and consider arriving early enough to explore before the doors open.

Why Public Programming Strengthens the University of Kansas Community

Events like this one do more than fill an evening. They demonstrate the practical value of a public research university: a graduate who went from Lawrence to low-Earth orbit returns to share what she learned, a former astronaut teaches on the same campus, and a Booker Prize-winning novel becomes the shared text that ties it all together. For high school students weighing universities in the USA, for current students choosing a major, and for community members deciding how to engage with KU, this event is a concrete example of what the university offers beyond the classroom.

The connection between the humanities and aerospace engineering deserves emphasis as well. “Orbital” is a literary novel; the guest of honor is an engineer. The KU Reads program deliberately places them in the same conversation because seeing Earth from space is both a technical achievement and a profoundly human experience. Students in any discipline can take something from that framing.

Have questions about the KU Reads program or this event? Write to the organizers through the KU Libraries, or share your thoughts about “Orbital” and spaceflight in the comments below.

A Night Worth Planning Around

Not many towns in the USA can host an evening that pairs a current NASA astronaut, a former astronaut turned professor, an aerospace engineering faculty member, a Booker Prize-winning novel, and public telescope viewing, all in one free program. The University of Kansas and the city of Lawrence can, and the Oct. 8 event is open to anyone willing to show up, read the book, or tune in online.

Whether you are a student mapping out a career in engineering, a reader drawn to Harvey’s quiet depiction of life in orbit, or simply someone curious about what 204 days off the planet does to a person, “From Lawrence to Low-Earth Orbit” offers something substantive. Mark the date, pick up “Orbital,” submit a question, and be part of a community conversation that spans from a Kansas campus to the International Space Station.

Follow KU News for updates on this event and the full year of KU Reads programming, and share this article with anyone who should not miss it.