Retired NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence and Canadian Space Agency engineer Isabelle Tremblay are among the professionals who will be on hand during Girls Fly Too activities at Abbotsford Airport this Saturday and Sunday.
More than 15,000 participants from across B.C. are expected to attend the free event.
Ten helicopters will be on hand to offer flights to girls and women who have never flown before, with the idea of getting them excited about careers in aviation.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day and is open to the public. Hands-on activities and displays will also be included from the fields of aviation, aerospace, marine and defence.
Lawrence is the first female graduate of the US Naval Academy to fly into space, and has flown four space missions, including a visit to the Russian Space Station MIR.
She is also an engineer with a master of science in ocean engineering, as well as a retired US Navy captain and helicopter pilot.
Tremblay has a master’s degree in aerospace engineering specializing in space technologies. She is currently the manager of the project and program portfolio and heads the corporate investment management bureau at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Previously, Tremblay worked as senior engineer and technical manager in international space exploration projects.
For more information, visit girlsfly2.ca. Go to AbbyNews Facebook or Abby News Flickr to see photos from Saturdays portion of the two day event.