Florida Conversations at the Tampa Bay History Center Welcomes 'Final Countdown' author, Pat Duggins

The 2009-2010 Florida Conversations Lecture Series concludes with National Public Radio’s “Space Expert” Pat Duggins on Sunday, June 13th, at 3:00 p.m. in TECO Hall. Duggins will discuss his book, Final Countdown: NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program.

The Space Shuttle was once the cornerstone of the U.S. space program. However, each new flight brings us one step closer to the retirement of the shuttles in 2010. Final Countdown is the riveting history of NASA's Space Shuttle program, its missions, and its impending demise. It also examines the plans and early development of the space agency’s next major effort: the Orion Crew Exploration Capsule.

Pat Duggins the News Director at Alabama Public Radio. His documentary on the first anniversary of the Columbia accident earned a prestigious First Place National Headliner Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Duggins has covered 86 shuttle missions over 20 years.

Florida Conversations is underwritten by the Tampa Bay History Center Endowment Fund at USF. The series is co-sponsored by the USF Libraries Florida Studies Center and the Tampa Bay History Center.

Florida Conversations is free and open to the public. For more information, visit us online or call (813) 228-0097.