MJHS grad launches into space as Boeing sends out astronauts for first time

*Editor’s note: The launch was originally scheduled for 9:34 p.m. CST Monday, May 6, but was recently scrubbed due to a valve issue, according to officials. The story below has been updated to reflect this claim.

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — Boeing is in the process of launching NASA astronauts into space for the first time.

One of the two pilots is Mt. Juliet hometown hero Barry “Butch” Wilmore.

“So we’ve got the 1981 yearbook here. There’s Barry Wilmore in his baseball uniform,” Mt. Juliet High School Principal Ryan Hill said while flipping through the yearbook.

Crews break ground on first phase of Mt. Juliet ‘game changer’

Wilmore spent his time on the baseball diamond and the football field. Several years ago, he delivered the game ball after the Mt. Juliet Middle School football field was named in his honor.

“When students walk in and leave every day, they get to see this,” Hill said, pointing to the tribute inside the halls of Mt. Juliet High School.

Hill told News 2 one of Wilmore’s accomplishments is paving the path forward for STEM students.

“Ten years ago, we didn’t have stem here at MJHS. That is something grown in the past four, five years,” Hill said.

Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the latest entry to space travel

After logging 178 days in space, Wilmore is now preparing to head to space for his third time.

“We are obviously excited Barry Wilmore is going back to space. It’s a big deal to say you have an astronaut that graduated from your high school,” Hill said.

“The next flight we take, we will by laying on our backs at this time and we launch into the heavens and leave this planet,” Wilmore said during a press conference.

In the highly anticipated blast off, Wilmore will climb into Boeing’s Starline Capsule from Cape Canaveral to the Interational Space Station for a weeklong stay. It’s the first time a crew will be on board after the company reportedly faced some “struggles” for years.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

“I think it shows kids here that anything you dream of is possible,” Hill said.

The spacecraft was expected to launch at 9:34 p.m. central standard time on Monday, May 6. However, shortly after 8 p.m., it was announced the launch had been scrubbed due to a valve issue.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.