Witnessing the Dream
Saturday before lunch the panel “Living on ISS” included Space travelers Greg Olsen and Anousheh Ansari. After an afternoon walk by the White House, we gathered in the ballroom to watch Discovery’s launch live. Among the ISDC crowd there were loud cheers as the bird lifted off. Views here span the spectrum from left to right, but support for Space cuts across such boundaries.
ISDC also saw screenings of the new documentary THE WONDER OF IT ALL. Filmmakers interviewed nearly all the surviving men who walked on the Moon. (They couldn't get Armstrong.) The normally taciturn John Young expressed great disappointment that we don't have large Moon settlements by now. Nearly two generations have been denied even a chance to visit the Moon. Women are disappointed that we have not been to the Moon. Returning to the Moon would be worthwhile if only to correct that slight.
posted by L. Riofrio at 10:51 PM
2 Comments:
Just yesterday I decided to find out Shuttle pilots that went thru UIUC Aerospace Eng Dept (my dad was prof & Dept Head):
Steve Nagel
On his third flight, Nagel was commander of STS-37, .... During this mission the crew aboard the Shuttle Atlantis deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) for the purpose of exploring gamma ray sources throughout the universe
Nagel also served as commander of STS-55, the German D-2 Spacelab mission
Scott Altman
He was the pilot on STS-90 (1998) and STS-106 (2000), and the mission commander on STS-109 (2002). STS-109 was the fourth Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission. The STS-109 crew successfully upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope leaving it with a new power unit, a new camera and new solar arrays.
Altman is assigned to command the final Space Shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission will extend and improve the observatory�s capabilities through 2013. Launch is targeted for September 2008.
Lee Archambault
Archambault was the pilot on STS-117 (June 8-22, 2007) and has logged a total of 14 days in space. Archambault is assigned to command the STS-119 mission, targeted for launch in the winter of 2008. The flight will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and truss element to the International Space Station.
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A female prof Dr. Victoria Coverstone (does a lot JPL work) was a finalist in the Astronaut program.
Do you want to fly into space, or are you just designing space suits?
Rah rah for your school! Like Victoria Coverstone, I would eagerly welcome the chance to fly in Space. I have scientific education, flight experience and excellent physical condition. Since the probability of selection as a NASA astronaut is less than that of winning an Academy Award, I am happy to work in a supporting role.
The current mission is even more selective and offers an even greater chance to explore the nature of Space.
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