Astronauts and memories

[Mei Mei]

Hi All!
I just listened to the evening news and here in DC at the Smithsonian were the last two surviving members of the original seven astronauts.   It was hard looking at the pics of John Glenn and Scott Carpenter as such nice tall, straight healthy examples of American but very very much looking like Senior Citizens and not as I had remembered them when I sat on the floor with my other classmates in Elementary School and prayed as my teacher smiled down at me for being so emotional.   I prayed in New York for the safe return of Alan Shepherd's 15 minute voyage that we listened to on an AM Transistor radio.  It was no time to be studying.   Just looking back and appreciating how time flies and that we have to take a break from our health problems to appreciate all that has happened around us.   I didn't even know that Alan Shepherd was no longer with us.

Hugs to all my fellow Forumites,
Mei Mei

[leapyrtwins]

Wow!  Hard to believe there are only two of the original seven still living.

I actually work for a former NASA astronaut.  Greg Harbaugh; he was on the Hubble.

Jan

[Mei Mei]

I know, Jan.   It's scary and I miss them.   They were a big part of my growing up.   Now git to bed.  It's late!
Mei Mei

[Jim Scott]

Mei Mei ~

AT 68, I have this type of experience fairly often.  As Peter De Vries wrote: "nostalgia isn't what it used to be".

Jim   

[skipg]

No Flip Cameras back then., Still had the Polaroid and the 8mm movie camera. I enjoyed your picture taking adventures in Cincy but I was joking that the way the camera was moving around, if I was to watch your movies I might think my AN was getting worse. Your were great and had a wonderful and outgoing personality.
Skip

[Mei Mei]

Thanks Skip and Jim.    I too am learning the lessons of nostalgia and fighting it.

I'll be up in Boston for July 7 to 12.   If anyone is around Cambridge or Watertown, I would love to meet you.

Mei Mei

[Brendalu]

Interesting thread.  For twelve years I lived about ten minutes from Johnson Space Center.  I have many friends who have worked for NASA for many, many years.  In 1957 I watched the lift off of one of the "monkey" flights from Cape Kennedy from the fire tower...a life long friend of the family was the fire captain there.  I have attended many balloon and flight rallies for the heroes of space.  Mark Kelly is the next door neighbor of a friend and uses our a/c company...very nice guy.  I have met many former astronauts and many who were in training.  Both of my grand daughters participated in the Science and Space Camp programs at Ellington Air Force Base with some excursions to the inter workings of NASA.  Of course the current administrations dismantling of NASA and the space program has hurt the Houston area very severely...many one time six figure income families have lost their homes and no jobs coming close to what they were doing or the income they were earning.  I am going to miss all of the hoopla over the lifts offs and returns...it was an exciting time for this country and the world.
Brenda

[Mei Mei]

What is going to happen to our advantage after the closure?   What is next for us?
Mei Mei

[G_Man]

A few weeks after the Symposium I traveled to Orlando for the N.F.B. convention.  When my plane took off to come back home on Friday the 9th we could see the last space shuttle out the window.  It took off right after we did.  For a split second I could see it.  It was really something to be sharing the same air space.  Who knows, the way the economy is going that may be the last manned space flight this country sees for a long time.  Very sad.

[leapyrtwins]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYh6BD6-Hc8&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Ravinia+Friends+and+Family&utm_campaign=3811078b27-Newsletter&utm_medium=email

[skipg]

Leapyrtwins

Thank you for the link. What a powerful video. It made me think about the world I live in and what kind of world I would like to live in.
A WORLD : Without war and poverty, no more racial prejudices or ethnic strife, where no child has 
                  to go to bed hungry and no parent ever has to bury a child. Where every disease has
                  a cure and money is not the motivator behind success. And as one poster stated, "a
                 world where God looks down and smiles"

I am thankful for the world I live in. It may not be perfect but it is my world and I will continue to do what I can to impact it in a positive way.

Thanks again,
Skip

[Jim Scott]

Skip ~

I appreciate your wish for what would be a perfect world.  However, I think what you're describing is heaven, not earth and mankind.  Still, the fact that you posted this: "I am thankful for the world I live in.  It may not be perfect but it is my world and I will continue to do what I can to impact it in a positive way" demonstrates a healthy, realistic attitude that I like to think we all share to some extent.  Thanks for your thoughts.

Jim

[leapyrtwins]

Skip -

the link was passed along to me, and the others I work with, from our CEO and President Greg Harbaugh who used to be an astronaut.  He's got some great pictures in his office and lots of very cool stuff w/NASA logos.

He was at the launching with his family.

Here's another link that's pretty neat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVJDYI1BQA4

Jan

[Mei Mei]

How incredible they are!   Thanks, Jan.
and what an opportunity Gman had in the airplane side by side with a launching!
That is going to be one of your treasured moments in your life!
Mei Mei

[msmaggie]

Okay...I can go w-a-y back on this one! I went to school at Langley AFB in the sixth grade with Scott Carpenter's son, also named Scott.  The family was lovely. This was back before NASA moved to Houston.  I can remember when they moved from Langley to Houston to participate in the space program. Those were the days!

Priscilla