Leland Melvin is a space thought leader, astronaut, engineer, educator, and former NFL wide receiver for the Detroit Lions
Leland Melvin is the only person drafted into the National Football League to have flown in space. He was featured on National Geographic’s One Strange Rock, hosted by Will Smith, where he explained how his brain repaired itself after an injury that left him deaf and almost stopped him from ever going to space
Even after being medically disqualified to fly in space by NASA flight surgeons, Leland completed two Space Shuttle missions to help build the International Space Station. Served as the co-chair of the White House’s Federal Coordination in STEM Education Task Force, developing the nation’s 5-year plan for STEM education.
His memoir, Chasing Space, shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, examining the intersecting roles of community, perseverance and grace that align to create the opportunities for success.
Consultant on National Geographic’s second season of Mars.
Leland looks back on his uncommon life — he was the first person in human history to catch a pass in the NFL and walk in space. Leland will examine his life through the prism of success and achievement. How did he succeed where he rightly should have failed? What motivated him to overcome injuries, setbacks, expulsions, and debilitating deafness? Leland will not only recount his path with honesty and curiosity, but he will also mine the latest thinking by researchers, authors, and academics, applying their work to his own life – and by extension giving the audience applicable takeaways.
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