Discovery Launch

Dirty Ed · 07-04-2006, 02:26 PM

Captain Kelly, USMMA Kings Point, Class of 1986, Pilot of THE DISCOVERY.

NASA - STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly: From the Seas to the Skies

"It was astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut to fly in space, who inspired Kelly's space dreams. Kelly was watching footage of Shepard landing on an aircraft carrier when he first began to realize how his dreams could become a reality.

"I remember thinking, 'Well, that looks like a great combination. You go fly airplanes in the Navy off a ship first, and then later you become an astronaut,'" he said. "I never thought it would really happen, but that was my goal."

Raised in West Orange, N.J., Kelly went on to attend the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, graduating in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in marine engineering. He later received his master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1994.

He was designated a Naval Aviator in December 1987. He has more than 4,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft, and has over 375 carrier landings.

In April 1996, Kelly was selected by NASA to become a part of its Astronaut Corps. He will serve as the pilot of STS-121 on the shuttle’s journey to space, and the intravehicular activity crewmember, guiding spacewalkers in completing tasks in space. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Lift your heads, hold them high, Kings Point's passing by."

Ed Toner, Class of 1953.

syscom3 · 07-04-2006, 02:34 PM

How many here are old enough to have watched and understood the first shuttle launch in 1981?

Or even remember the drop test of Enterprise in 1977?

davparlr · 07-04-2006, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syscom3

How many here are old enough to have watched and understood the first shuttle launch in 1981?

Or even remember the drop test of Enterprise in 1977?

What!!!! I remember watching Vangard blow up on the launch pad! On a black and white TV! And, a few years later, going outside and watching Echo 1 orbit in the sky. Duck and cover pracitices in elementry school!

syscom3 · 07-04-2006, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davparlr

What!!!! I remember watching Vangard blow up on the launch pad! On a black and white TV! And, a few years later, going outside and watching Echo 1 orbit in the sky. Duck and cover pracitices in elementry school!

Youre an oldie!!!!!!

I remember some of the Gemini launches, but I was quite young.

First real space news I remember vividly was the announcement of the Apollo 1 disaster.

I was nine when we had the lunar landing in 1969. I remember that day very well.

For the Shuttle launch in April 1981, I had just moved to Redondo Beach from the midwest the month before. I didnt realize how many people at TRW, HUGHES and Rockwell were involved in building the hardware. We had some pretty good parties (and an introduction to southern cal babes too!)

Erich · 07-04-2006, 03:48 PM

yes remember it now............plus the under the desk/chair combo in elementary school, thinking ya know we are going to get slaughtered by the shards of glass of these 10' tall windows if our San Jaquin valley in central Cali ever gets popped

Henk · 07-04-2006, 05:48 PM

We only had those kind of drills for terrorest attacks on white schools just before the 1994 election. The black people here said they will attack white schools. That sucked and we felt like we were in great danger.

To young to have seen those but know about them. Love space stuff.

FLYBOYJ · 07-04-2006, 06:07 PM

I remember the last Mercury launch, all the Gemini and of course the Apollo launches.

Was offered a job to work on the shuttle, turned it down to do other things - kinda glad I did..

Henk · 07-04-2006, 06:12 PM

I would not like to go space or work there, to risky for me.

pbfoot · 07-05-2006, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davparlr

What!!!! I remember watching Vangard blow up on the launch pad! On a black and white TV! And, a few years later, going outside and watching Echo 1 orbit in the sky. Duck and cover pracitices in elementry school!

I remember the air raid practices for the cuban middle crisis plus all the mercury and Gagarin and the first women different times for sure I think the first transatlantic satellite live TV broadcast was Churchills funeral

davparlr · 07-05-2006, 07:13 PM

Young'uns!! Althought Pbfoot is not too young. And FlyboyJ is getting up there too. I've seen a lot of changes although not as many as my grandfather who was born in 1879 and died 1971. He was born in a time of kerosene lamps, and horse and buggy. He saw the advent of the automobile, electric light, airplane, jet travel, and ... man walking on the moon. What a life span.

syscom3 · 07-05-2006, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davparlr

Young'uns!! Althought Pbfoot is not too young. And FlyboyJ is getting up there too. I've seen a lot of changes although not as many as my grandfather who was born in 1879 and died 1971. He was born in a time of kerosene lamps, and horse and buggy. He saw the advent of the automobile, electric light, airplane, jet travel, and ... man walking on the moon. What a life span.

To think that the number of people who remember a world without airplanes is dimishing quickly.

When the last one is gone in a few years, that will be the end of an era for everyone.

pbfoot · 07-05-2006, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davparlr

Young'uns!! Althought Pbfoot is not too young. And FlyboyJ is getting up there too. I've seen a lot of changes although not as many as my grandfather who was born in 1879 and died 1971. He was born in a time of kerosene lamps, and horse and buggy. He saw the advent of the automobile, electric light, airplane, jet travel, and ... man walking on the moon. What a life span.

heres one for you I was A GCA/PAR controller