Woodbridge residents are being paid a visit by a former astronaut and National Football League (NFL) player.
Leland Melvin is speaking at Chinn Park Regional Library at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
He will sign his book “Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances,” as well.
The book talks about obstacles Melvin faced while serving as an NFL player and astronaut, according to a release from Prince William County.
Hamstring injuries led to the University of Richmond graduate to leave the NFL. Later on, he lost his hearing because of a NASA training mishap.
Melvin eventually began to hear again and was able to travel on the space shuttle, Atlantis, 11 years ago.
“I had kind of a different journey into space, but I ended up there anyway, and it was one of the best things I could have done. It provides a great platform to help people get a different perspective, back on the planet, to learn about how we live and work together as one race — the human race,” he said in a release.
On Saturday, Melvin plans to talk about determination.
“By not giving up and having that perseverance and having people that have your back when you don’t think anyone does, those are the things that help you overcome obstacles and rise,” he said.
