Astronaut Encounter

[tonycondon]

Had my first today. Clayton Anderson, who got his Master's Degree here in Aerospace Engineering back in the 80's spoke today. He spent 152 days on the ISS last summer and fall. His presentation was quite good with lots of humor. And I got to shake hands with him, nice end to the day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Anderson

 

[mikea]

Lessee, I've met Hoot Gibson, Alan Shepard, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Eugene Cernan.

It helps when you have an uncanny knack to recognize celebrity faces.

 

[tonycondon]

it helps to be old too

 

[Pilawt]

I walked alongside Buzz Aldrin through the terminal at KBOS once. Does that count?

 

[tonycondon]

sounds good enough to me Jeff

 

[mikea]

I walked alongside Buzz Aldrin through the terminal at KBOS once. Does that count?

Sure. That's where I ran into Jim Lovell the first time. He was forlornly pushing a Smarte cart waiting for his baggage at O'Hare.

I had tell people who he was. "You see Apollo 13? That's the guy."

 

[tonycondon]

"You see Apollo 13? That's the guy."

you mean Tom Hanks???

 

[mikea]

you mean Tom Hanks???

That's exactly what else I said.

 

[gibbons]

I'm betting that Clayton Anderson is telling everyone, "I met Tony Condon today. Got to shake his hand."

 

[vontresc]

Well Tony is famous amongst glider pilots, and the shuttle is a glider

Pete

 

[tonycondon]

I'm betting that Clayton Anderson is telling everyone, "I met Tony Condon today. Got to shake his hand."

nope, he didnt even know my name. he seemed to be late for the next thing and already had 10 people pulling on him to go places so i didnt try to chat with him.

 

[gibbons]

nope, he didnt even know my name. he seemed to be late for the next thing and already had 10 people pulling on him to go places so i didnt try to chat with him.

His loss.

 

[ScottM]

I spent the afternoon with Al Bean and drove him around in my BMW. I have his phone number and home address too. I have also met John Glenn, got a tie tack that was in STS-1 from John Young, worked with Judy Resnick. Any of that count?

 

[KennyFlys]

I spent the afternoon with Al Bean and drove him around in my BMW. I have his phone number and home address too. I have also met John Glenn, got a tie tack that was in STS-1 from John Young, worked with Judy Resnick. Any of that count?

Not really. What else have you done?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I'd have never picked Lovell and Cernan out of the crowd at OSH last year if Mike hadn't have been there... I "almost" met Lovell back when I worked at MWC, he owns a Baron and goes to the BPPP shindig there once a year.

I've also met Piers Sellers, and watched him playing with *cough* uh, training in the SAFER separation VR simulator, and then got to play with it myself when he was done.

 

[nddons]

I met Jerry Linenger, who was a keynote speaker at one of our partners meetings in 2003 or 2004. He spent 132 days aboard MIR, and has some great stories to tell.

http://www.known.com/jerrylinenger.html

I purchased both of his books, and they can be purchased from a very small family-run bookstore in Michigan. They apparently are old friends of Linenger, and when I asked if he would sign and include a message in Letters from MIR to my daughter, he wrote a very nice, inspirational message.

Off the Planet is a great book, and discusses the on-board fire on MIR, and his experience in his first spacewalk. I recommend both of them very highly.

 

[AuntPeggy]

Mike Melvill and Aunt Peggy at Oshkosh 2005.