MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is returning to his home state to help launch a new initiative.

Bob Cabana is a Minneapolis Washburn High School graduate. He begins the week at Target Field Sunday.

The former space shuttle astronaut will be on Target Plaza before the game to meet fans, sign autographs and pose for photos before a NASA backdrop. He’ll then join University of Minnesota students in launching a balloon from Target Field into the stratosphere to “launch” Minnesota Aerospace & Aviation Week.

Cabana speaks Monday at Washburn High and at the Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School in St. Paul, and at other events Tuesday.

His visit is organized by AirSpace Minnesota, a new nonprofit created to tell the story of Minnesota’s achievements in aerospace and aviation.