SEATTLE, Dec. 2, 2024—On Dec. 7, retired space shuttle astronaut Jan Davis connects her father’s service as a B-17 bomber pilot in World War II with her own service as an astronaut during a lecture about her book, Air Born: Two Generations in Flight. The inspiring story highlights the intersection of two completely different yet uniquely connected worlds brought together by a common link of flight and family. 

 

Davis will also introduce her new book, Air Born: Artistic Musings of a WWII Pilot and POW, a companion piece to Two Generations that brings her father’s wartime writings and artwork to light. The 2 p.m. program includes audience Q and A and is followed by a book signing. The event is free with Museum Membership and included with general admission.

 

Air Born Backstory

Jan Davis' father, Ben Smotherman, was a World War II B-17 pilot who was shot down in 1943 and spent 22 months as a POW. While interred, he kept a journal, painted and sketched. In 2020 Davis thought of writing a book about him to bring his stories and art into the world. As she read through her father's wartime logs she discovered connections between their lives—his as a pilot and hers as an astronaut, and the book became about them both. The inspiring story highlights the intersection of two completely different yet uniquely connected worlds brought together by a common link of flight and family. Her new book, Air Born: Artistic Musings of a WWII Pilot and POW, is a companion piece to Two Generations that brings her father’s wartime writings and artwork to light.

 

As a space shuttle astronaut, Davis went through extensive training, flew NASA jets and completed three spaceflights from 1992-1997, spending over 673 hours in orbit. She continued working for NASA at its Headquarters and Marshal Space Flight Center before retiring from the Agency in 2005.

 

Image: Jan Davis at her station in the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-85. NASA photo.

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Media Contact:

Ted Huetter/Senior Public Relations Manager
T: 206.768.7105 C: 206.455.5360 Email: thuetter@museumofflight.org