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COLUMBIA, MO -- United States Navy Captain and Hall of Fame Astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson is one of the honored guests during this weekend’s two-day free air show at Columbia Regional Airport.

The former shuttle commander and top gun pilot took time out of his busy schedule to meet with some possible future astronauts at Columbia’s Hickman High School.

Gibson presented outstanding performance awards to 3 science students.

These students also belong to CASA, or the Columbia Aeronautics and Space Association.

CASA is a simulated version of NASA for Columbia high school students.

Gibson said, “We are preparing these young people for careers and for doing the sorts of things that you do when you finish all of your college education and go out there and actually work.  This is just a wonderful, wonderful program.”

Gibson was the commander of 4 of the 5 shuttle missions on which he flew between 1984 and 1995, including the first docking of the shuttle with the Russian space station MIR.

Gibson told the group of Hickman High School students about his encounters with Russian cosmonauts.