Tony Leavitt — yes, of the Turner Leavitts — could have stayed in town and added to the family legacy, which goes back more than 200 years. In fact, to be fair, he did: raised in Turner, a sports standout, he came back from college and farmed some family land for 10 years and then came back after more college to teach and coach.

But Tony had a desire to reach for the stars early on . . . although there’s no way he could have known how close he would get. Today, Tony is an education specialist with NASA. In his words, he’s the “face of NASA” to thousands of students and teachers that he holds programs and workshops with in 10 states every year.

He lives in Washington state now, but he still calls Turner “a piece of heaven.” Given the heavens are his specialty, he should know.

Name: Anthony “Tony” Leavitt

Age: 54

Residence: I live in Vancouver, Wash., but am moving to the San Francisco area to work in NASA’s Ames Research Center’s Office of Education.

What does your job entail and what do you like best about it? The NASA Aerospace Education Services Project serves the entire country as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. I work with K-12 students, teachers, college-level education students and other educators to provide NASA-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) materials, and support for use in the classroom.

What do all those letters after your name — (ARC-VE) — mean? Do they certify you to go into space? The NASA world is all about acronyms. There are thousands! ARC = Ames Research Center (the NASA center from which I am based at Moffett Field, Calif.); VE = code VE – Education.

Did you ever want to be an astronaut? I think every kid at one point or another dreams of going to space. I had my chance in 2003 when NASA put out a call for teachers to apply for a special program called the “Educator Astronaut Program.” Seventeen hundred teachers applied, three were chosen. I think I made the final 200 or so. The picture is of me and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, one of the three who “got MY job.”

Actually, I have had astronauts tell me that I have the coolest job at NASA. I respond, “Really! But you have been to space.” They remind me that I work with those people who are preparing and encouraging the next generation of astronauts, our youth. Pretty important.

What were some of the early (Turner) influences on the direction your life would take leading to a job in the sciences and with NASA? My mom above all set the example, as a teacher for over 20 years right there in Turner. My interest in science stemmed from my roots (pardon the pun) growing up on a farm. High school science teacher Dwayne Leavitt ignited my interest in Earth science. I eventually got a geology degree and came back to teach Earth science at Leavitt High School.

As the face of NASA to teachers and students in 10 states, what is one of the toughest questions you’ve had to answer? The toughest questions come from K-2nd grade students. They have no fear and will ask you anything! In my first year at NASA, the Columbia Space Shuttle accident happened, with seven astronauts losing their lives. I was asked “Why?” by those K-2 kids, who were genuinely moved and concerned.

What was one of the most rewarding questions? The most rewarding part of my job is the potential to ignite a passion for science in young people. One stands out in particular. It was right after Columbia and I was at an elementary school in Utah. I presented a program to a small group of K-3 students and talked about the contribution and sacrifice of those astronauts. A little girl in the back row was waving her hand with a question. Well, her speech was a bit garbled, I could not understand her, but I answered as best I could. Later, her teacher told me she was autistic and mostly non-communicative. But, my presentation had moved her to try.

What’s the question that gets the biggest reaction from students? Well, everyone knows that things “float” in space. So, how do astronauts go to the bathroom? The space toilet is the engineering solution, with a vacuum to capture any excretions.

Is there anything about the public’s knowledge of space — or lack of knowledge — that really bugs you? And why? Don’t get me started. You ask anyone why people in space (on the International Space Station) float around. Their answer 99.99 percent of the time: “There’s no gravity, “Zero G.”

Sorry, wrong answer. The weightlessness is due to the freefall of the station around the Earth. Like a ball that arcs to the ground — due to GRAVITY — when you throw it, only the station travels at 17,500 mph!

Word in the galaxy is that you have a dream to establish an outdoor school. What’s that about? Ever since participating in a 23-day “Outward Bound” course the summer of my high school senior year, I have set the goal to establish an outdoor school. This would be “experiential learning through doing” to gain better appreciation for science and the study of our natural world.

What’s your favorite space movie (or movie series)? Kind of funny, but I did not grow up as a “space geek.” I watched “My Favorite Martian” as a kid. For me, NASA was the Apollo program and landing on the moon, cool stuff, but it didn’t propel me to NASA. My favorite space-related movie: “Contact.” I have met the person depicted by the blind astronomer in the movie. He works at the SETI institute here, Kent Cullers.

What’s your favorite celestial phenomenon and how can readers get in on it? My favorite celestial event is split between two:

1) Just go outside on a cool, crystal clear fall Maine night and look up. You can learn what your looking at with an iPhone app called “Star Walk — 5 Stars Astronomy Guide” (only $2.99).

2) Viewing the International Space Station flyover at night. To find dates and times go to: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/index.html. Find “See the Station in the Sky” and click on “Sightings Page.” Follow the prompts. You’ll be looking at the home to six astronauts orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes!

FMI: To learn more about NASA and its programs, you can go to:

— NASA Website: http://www.nasa.gov/

— AESP program: http://aesp.psu.edu/

— NEON (NASA Educators Online Network): http://neon.psu.edu/

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