NASA Goes to Super Bowl 2017 (Photos)

By Hanneke Weitering
published

NFL Meets NASA

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

Former NFL player Emanuel McNeil of the New England Patriots and New York Jets takes a photo in front of the NASA Mars Rover backdrop on Jan. 26.

NFL Meets NASA

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

Former NFL player Mickey Washington (of the New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New Orleans Saints) takes a photo with a Johnson Space Center staff member on Jan. 26 during the JSC Super Bowl Tailgate event.

Spaceflight Briefing by NFL Retiree

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

Former NFL player Darryl Gaines (Kansas City Chiefs) briefs a large group of former NFL players on the NASA's space missions during the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Super Bowl Tailgate event on Jan. 26. Daryl is an assistant to the JSC Center Director and a member of the JSC Super Bowl Committee collaborating between NASA and the NFL Super Bowl Committee to plan activities for the Super Bowl. Center Director Ellen Ochoa invited many former NFL players to JSC for the Super Bowl LIVE events. During the week before the Super Bowl, the former players visited Mission Control and other JSC areas, taking time to stop and give autographs and photo opportunities to NASA staff members.

Former NFL Players Sign Autographs

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

Former NFL players sign autographs for Johnson Space Center staff members during the tailgate event on Jan. 26.

Astronauts & Football Players

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins briefs NFL former players visiting the Johnson Space Center during the JSC Tailgate event as part of Super Bowl LI pre-events on Jan. 26.

Sammy Davis

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

Former NFL player Sammy Davis (Chargers, 49ers, Buccaneers) checks out a NASA Spacesuit while on tour at the Johnson Space Center on Jan. 26.

Space Shuttle Cockpit

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

Former NFL player Kevin Williams (Vikings, Seahawks, Saints) enjoys the tour at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) while getting a hands on look in the NASA Space Shuttle cockpit.

Football Players, Space Fans

NASA Photographer Lauren Harnett

Former NFL players on tour of the Johnson Space Center gathered in front of Mission Control. (Kneeling: Kerry Henderson, Joe Wesley; First standing row: Ronald Humphrey, James Williams, Emanuel McNeil, Sammy Davis, Darryl Gaines, Chris Calloway, Lemuel Stinson; Back row: Ginger Kerrick, Jermaine Fazande, Michael Holmes, Kevin Williams)

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Hanneke Weitering
Hanneke Weitering
Contributing expert

Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos.