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For a wonderful look into the space program, make sure to visit: As well as Nasa's huge web site: www.nasa.gov |
When we look at pictures of Astronauts in
space, like the one in the left corner, we sometimes forget that what they are doing is
only a part of their job. I will agree, that part of their job may be much more glamourous
than some of our's, but it is still a job! They really are just like you and me. They get up in the mornings and drink their cup of coffee, read their morning paper, shower and leave. Some of the Astronauts are Women, and Mothers. They too are like us, as they have to wake the family, find breakfast and lost shoes, take the kids to daycare or school, and go to work. They have activities like you and I that they do on the weekends, just like us. They travel in their jobs too. The only difference is that some of those travel arrangements are a bit farther than ours, and they don't pay frequent flier miles! Listed below are some of our favorite Astronauts! Most of them are currently in the space program, but a few are retired. See what their interests are, and a little bit about them: Bonnie Dunbar This is Taylorj's favorite Lady Astronaut (besides Jan Davis! She will be on the January Flight which will be a MIR docking. More to come on Ms. Dunbar! Jan Davis: Jan was born in Cocoa Beach, Fla but calls Huntsville Ala her home.She enjoys in her leisure: flying, ice skating, aerobics, bicycling, snow skiing, water sports, and needlework and is a member of the Lakeview Quilters Guild. She is a volunteer Girl Scout troop assistant leader. She is married to Astronaut Mark Lee, after they fell in love and got married while training for STS84. Because they were so far along in their training, NASA reluctantly made an exception to its policy barring married couples from flying together. They were the first married couple in space (and did not have their own sleeping quarters despite many rumors...). We watched this mission. There were 2 "teams", who worked opposite shifts. Mark and Jan were on opposite shifts. I wonder why? See their picture with the rest of that crew, which included Curtis Brown, who is on Mission STS 85, August 1997 with her again, and "Hoot" Gibson, who has a long history with NASA! (We will figure out why he has the nickname "Hoot" and bring that information to you!) Read more about Jan Davis at: http://krakatoa.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/davis.html Buzz Aldren His nickname was given to him by his sister when he was young, and now is his legal name.We all know him as one the two Astronauts that first stepped on the moon! He is an author now, releasing an explosive fiction novel that is not too fiction! Based on his ideas of future space exploration along with the knowledge of how the space program works, this novel is for everyone, not just sci-fi buffs. On Valentines Day, 1988, he married Lois Driggs Cannon of Phoenix, Arizona. Together they have a blended family of six grown children and one grandson. His wife is a very active community leader in Southern California, where they now reside. His mothers name was Marion Moon, something I thought was quite coincedental. Leisure activities include deep sea scuba diving and skiing in Sun Valley,Idaho. Buzz is probibly the most active former Astronaut involved in promoting space exploration. Now 67 years old, he heads Starcraft Enterprises, the name of his private space endeavours in Laguna Beach, Calif., and is chairman of the National Space Society in Washington, D.C. National Space Society's vision is people living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth. NSS members promote change in social, technical, economic, and political conditions to advance the day when people will live and work in space. In our opinion, this is a real possibility. Our children are older teens. We predict that by the time our future grandchildren are in the workforce, that working in space will be as common as working somewhere in your city. Their Board of Governors consist of many familier names, such as :Hugh Downs (journalist for many years), Arthur C. Clarke (author of many books including 2001, A Space Odyssey), Michael Collins (current Nasa Astronaut), John Glenn (First Astronaut to Orbit the earth, Senitor for many terms), Tom Hanks, Bob Hope, John Denver, James "Jim" Lovell, just to name a few. The National Space Society's Web Site is very much worth visiting. Since retiring from NASA, the Air Force, and his position as Commander of the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Dr. Aldrin has remained at the forefront of efforts to ensure a continued leading role for America in manned space exploration. To advance his lifelong commitment to venturing outward in space, he has created a master plan of evolving missions for sustained exploration utilizing his concept, "The Cycler," a spacecraft system which makes perpetual orbits between Earth and Mars, and in 1993 received a patent for a permanent space station he designed. This Astronaut has some facinating ideas about space exploration, space flights, both past and future. To read his material is an adventure in itself. His books include two biographical accounts of his space flights and in particular, The Apollo 11 mission. Story Musgrave Story is the practical joker of the Astronauts. Recently retired, he had logged hours with the space program. James "Jim" Lovell Everyone remembers this Astronaut from the Apollo 13 incident. If you had forgotten over the years, then Ron Howard's Movie reminded you. Jim Lovell lives, at least part of the time, in Marble Falls, Texas, (not too far from San Antonio) although he splits his time between there and Illinois, where his business Lovell Communications is headquartered. We would love to spend an afternoon with him and his wife, Marilyn. Lovell flew on both Gemini (7 and 12) and Apollo (8 and 13) missions. Apollo 13 was his last. I found some very interesting things about Jim Lovell when I was looking. When asked why Apollo 13 was his final space flight, he answered simply "I made four flights into space. My wife thought that was enough." Currently, he is chairman of "Mission Home" a national public awareness campaign building public support and awareness for the role space plays in the daily lives of Americans. There are several Web Sites with information and biographies on James Lovell.: http://www.nss.org/askastro/Lovell/MHome.html This free space provided by |
