Rarely do people have a chance to meet an astronaut. Last week, Barbara Lee accompanied NASA astronaut Rex Welheim to meet parents and children at the East Oakland Community Library, 1021 81st Ave.

Both Lee and Welheim encouraged students to study science and math and to learn more about the International Space Station, which can teach students about robotics, amazing images of space and new ways of collecting data.

Welheim was born in Redwood City and now lives in San Carlos. He has spent over 36 days in space and was a part of three space flights during his career. He has a strong background in flight test engineering.

Photo by Stephen Brooks, Jr.