March 16, 2012 > Astronaut visits Eastin Elementary Astronaut visits Eastin Elementary Submitted By Rick La Plante Students at Eastin Elementary School in Union City were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime "out of this world" experience. On March 9, Astronaut Rex Walheim, a mission specialist on the final flight of NASA's space shuttle program paid a visit to the school where he spoke at two assemblies to a total of 900 students. Astronaut Walheim flew three missions on "Atlantis" and made five spacewalks. A Bay Area native, having graduated from San Carlos High School and the University of California at Berkeley, Astronaut Walheim currently lives in Visalia with his wife and two children.