About 6 years ago, astronaut John B. Herrington was speeding around the Earth at 17,000 mph in the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

Today he's embarking on a cross-country bicycle tour from Washington's Olympic Peninsula aboard his fully loaded Trek 520 on which he'll be lucky to average 12 mph.

Let's just call it one small step for man, one giant pedal stroke for mankind.

The cross-country bike tour is called Rocketrek and it's intended to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

He' setting out from Cape Flattery on Neah Bay, home of the Makah Tribe. It's the most northwestern western point in the continental US. He's heading to Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 4,000-mile tour will take him across Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Selected for the astronaut program in 1996, Herrington is a member of the Chickasaw Natoin and was credited with being the first Native American astronaut. During his 13 days in space, he spent nearly 20 hours outside the spacecraft.

At his Rocketrek website, students can follow Herrington's journey and follow his location on Google Earth, see photos and read his blog. They'll be able to solve "real-world" problems using basic science, technology, engineering and math skills.

I'm looking forward to following Herrington's progress across the US.

Source: Bike Bis